Pediatric Primary Care Provider Perspectives on a Computer-Facilitated Screening and Brief Intervention System for Adolescent Substance Use

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health Vol. 69; no. 1; pp. 157 - 161
• Main Authors: Gibson, Erin B., Knight, John R., Levinson, Jordan A., Sherritt, Lon, Harris, Sion K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-07-2021; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Adolescence; Alcohol screening and brief intervention; Brief interventions; Computers; Counseling; Drug abuse; Feasibility; Medical personnel; Medical screening; Pediatrics; Primary care; Primary health care; SBIRT; Substance abuse; Substance use disorders; Talking; Teenagers; Substance use disorders; Adolescence; Alcohol screening and brief intervention; SBIRT; Primary health care
• ISSN: 1054-139X; 1879-1972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.09.037

This study aimed to elicit pediatric primary care providers' (PCPs) feedback on the acceptability and feasibility of implementing a tablet computer-facilitated Screening and Brief Intervention (cSBI) system for adolescent substance use in their practices.
We trained PCPs at five Boston area practices and enrolled their 12- to 18-year-old patients in a pilot randomized trial of cSBI versus usual care. PCPs completed an 18-item poststudy questionnaire. We computed frequencies and thematically coded open-ended responses.
The analysis sample included 49 of 54 participating PCPs (90.7%). Overall, 89.8% of participants agreed the cSBI system was useful, and 81.6% reported increased confidence in providing brief counseling. Most useful were the immediate availability of screen results, talking points on substance use risks, and counseling prompts. Challenges included time and unfamiliarity with tablet computers. Many suggested electronic health record integration of cSBI to improve efficiency.
cSBI showed high acceptability and increased confidence among pediatric PCPs. Feasibility could be enhanced by electronic health record integration.