CONTACT: Toni Morrissey
(608) 263-3223
(608) 576-6456
tmorrissey@uwhealth.org
Wisconsin continues to lead in indicators of alcohol abuse
MADISON- More than 2,000 health professions trainees at the University of Wisconsin will learn to spot patient issues with alcohol and drugs and to intervene, thanks to a $950,000 grant from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
“We often think of alcoholics and drug addicts for intervention,” said Dr. Richard Brown, professor of family medicine at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. “The majority of people who would benefit from intervention are not alcoholics or drug addicts.”
Brown will implement and evaluate an alcohol and drug screening training program (SBIRT) for family medicine and internal medicine residents and medical, nursing, pharmacy, psychology and social work students over the next three years. The curriculum will be up and running in January, 2016. Interactive learning modules including video demonstrations of skills will be installed on Learn@UW, the university’s online learning platform. Ultimately, the residents and students will practice their skills with patients.
“In addition to teaching residents and students, another goal of the project is to train 500 current practitioners in Wisconsin and to promote policy changes that support SBIRT delivery throughout the state,” said Brown.
The process of screening is simple. Brown says patients will be asked once a year to fill out a form with alcohol and drug questions. The forms are reviewed by medical assistants, who will identify any positive responses. Providers can then talk with patients about their alcohol and drug use.
“Most of the benefit comes from brief intervention,” said Brown. “Providers can help patients decide if they can cut down or quit. The nice bonus is that patients’ health improves and injuries are avoided, which will save money on health care costs.”
Brown also said that studies show alcohol and drug-use intervention cuts down on emergency department visits, hospitalizations and car crashes and accidents. Brown said SBIRT can have further benefits.
“SBIRT would help address Wisconsin’s binge-drinking and drunken-driving problems and might also help with the heroin and opioid epidemic,” said Brown.
The Wisconsin Initiative to Promote Healthy Lifestyles (WIPHL) will administer the project. WIPHL is a national leader in SBIRT implementation and policy work.
A smaller program at UW-LaCrosse, led by Brown, was funded by a $300,000 grant from the Wisconsin Partnership Program (WPP). The grant supported SBIRT training for UW-La Crosse health education students. Brown also participates in a $400,000 WPP grant to administer and evaluate the effectiveness of SBIRT in eight southeastern Wisconsin high schools.
