Linking Substance Abuse Services with General Medical Care: Integrated, Brief Interventions with Hospitalized Patients

• Published in: The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 1 - 13
• Main Authors: Dunn, Christopher W., Ries, Richard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Colchester Informa UK Ltd 01-01-1997; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Alcoholism - rehabilitation; Biological and medical sciences; Delivery of Health Care, Integrated - trends; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Forecasting; Health care; Health Plan Implementation - trends; Health Services Needs and Demand - trends; Hospitals; Hospitals, General - trends; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Mental health; Middle Aged; Organization of mental health. Health systems; Patient Admission - trends; Patient Care Team - trends; Patients; Pilot Projects; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychotherapy, Brief - trends; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Substance abuse treatment; Substance-Related Disorders - rehabilitation; Washington; Washington; Short term; Human; Drug addiction; Poison withdrawal; Treatment; General hospital; Alcoholism; Public health organization; Health service; Public health
• ISSN: 0095-2990; 1097-9891
• DOI: 10.3109/00952999709001684

This paper presents the results of implementing on-site alcohol or drug (AOD) brief intervention services across several medical, surgical, and psychiatric services in a county hospital. These integrated brief interventions (IBI) included patient substance abuse assessment, feedback to patient, and referral/recommendations. Three hundred sixty-three patients were referred by hospital staff to these services and 95% of these patients were subsequently confirmed by chemical dependency specialists as having diagnoses of psychoactive substance abuse or dependence. Seventy-nine percent of chemically dependent patients were without current substance abuse treatment, even though 54% were partially motivated and 20% were fully motivated for getting treatment. Of patients contacted at follow-up, 35% reported involvement in some kind of substance abuse treatment or 12-step meetings. Implications for implementing integrated brief intervention services are discussed in light of recent trends in publicly funded treatment availability and brief intervention outcome studies.