Training and tailored outreach support to improve alcohol screening and brief intervention in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services

Anton Clifford; Anthony Shakeshaft; Catherine Deans

doi:10.1111/j.1465-3362.2012.00488.x

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Training and tailored outreach support to improve alcohol screening and brief intervention in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services

Journal article

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Training and tailored outreach support to improve alcohol screening and brief intervention in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services

Anton Clifford, Anthony Shakeshaft and Catherine Deans

Drug and Alcohol Review, Vol.32(1), pp.72-79

2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-3362.2012.00488.x

PMID: 22775591

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Abstract

Indigenous health services

alcohol

screening

brief intervention

Introduction and Aims Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) are often the primary point of contact for Indigenous Australians experiencing alcohol-related harms. Screening and brief intervention (SBI) is a cost-effective treatment for reducing these harms. Factors influencing evidence-based alcohol SBI delivery in ACCHSs have been identified. Evaluations of strategies targeting these factors are required. The aim of this paper is to quantify the effect of training and tailored outreach support on the delivery of alcohol SBI in four Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs). Design and Methods A pre- post- assessment of alcohol information recorded in computerised patient information systems of four ACCHSs. Results For ACCHSs combined there was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of eligible clients with an electronic record of any alcohol information (3.2% to 7.5%, P < 0.0001) and a valid alcohol screen (1.6% to 6.5%, P < 0.0001), and brief intervention (25.75% to 47.7%, P < 0.0001). All four ACCHSs achieved statistically significant increases in the proportion of clients with a complete alcohol screen (10.3%; 7.4%; 2%, P < 0.0001 and 1.3%, P < 0.05), and two in the proportion with a heavy drinking screen (7% and 3.1%, P < 0.0001). Discussion and Conclusions Implementing evidence-based alcohol SBI in ACCHSs is likely to require multiple strategies tailored to the characteristics of specific services. Outreach support provided by local drug and alcohol practitioners and a one item heavy drinking screen offer considerable promise for increasing routine alcohol SBI delivery in ACCHSs. Training and outreach support appear to be effective for achieving modest improvements in alcohol SBI delivery in ACCHSs.

Details

Title: Training and tailored outreach support to improve alcohol screening and brief intervention in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services
Authors: Anton Clifford (Corresponding Author) - The University of Queensland
Anthony Shakeshaft - The University of Queensland
Catherine Deans - The University of Queensland
Publication details: Drug and Alcohol Review, Vol.32(1), pp.72-79
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Date published: 2013
DOI: 10.1111/j.1465-3362.2012.00488.x
ISSN: 1465-3362
PMID: 22775591
Grant note: We gratefully thank the Department of Health and Ageing for funding this research through the National Drug Research Institute, Perth, Australia. Dr Anton Clifford was an National Health and Medical Research Council Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health at the time of this research.
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Psychology
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991242164502621
Output Type: Journal article

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