For Immediate Release
Mercy Screens ER Patients for Substance Abuse
Oklahoma City—Thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Oklahoma
Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Mercy Health
Center has screened more than 600 ER patients since last fall for
substance abuse. Not only is Mercy the only hospital in the state taking
preventive measures, it’s one of only a handful in the nation doing so.
“By intervening early, we can have a significant impact on people who
are struggling with drug and alcohol problems,” said Gary Parker, PhD,
MS, BSN, Mercy’s research lead. “In an ER setting, people are focused on
their health, and they are much more likely to hear and act on any
advice they receive. It’s a critical teaching moment to help reduce drug
and alcohol abuse in our state.”
Known as Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment,
SBIRT shifts the emphasis to alcohol and drug users the traditional
system has largely ignored — those who consume more than medically
accepted limits but are not yet dependent.
Rejecting the notion that only people with serious levels of abuse or
dependency need targeted interventions, SBIRT assumes that everyone,
regardless of their current level of alcohol or drug consumption, can
benefit from learning the facts about alcohol consumption and knowing
the effects of substance abuse. SBIRT further assumes that many people
who consume amounts above those limits do not understand the risks they
face but can and will change their behavior when they find out. For that
reason, providing education about the consequences of alcohol and other
drug use is a major part of the program.
Since October, Mercy has screened 631 ER patients and of those, 122
have been identified with alcohol-related problems and 73 have had
drug-related problems, including eight pregnant women with alcohol/drug
issues.
With five SBIRT-trained screeners, Mercy conducts private interviews
with ER patients and provides each person with an individualized
intervention appropriate to the level of risk for abuse. “What’s made
this program effective is that the screeners, also known as peer health
educators, are well trained to not be judgmental or threatening and they
are well scripted on how to conduct interactions that produce accurate
screening results and effective interventions,” said Jessica Hawkins,
director of Prevention Services for the Oklahoma Department of Mental
Health and Substance Abuse Services.
“These brief interventions can reorient many people away from
behavior that, unchecked, can lead to high risk behaviors and even
addiction,” said Parker. “Besides interventions, we have also
successfully referred some of our ER patients to programs where they’ve
received additional help. Many of the people screened who have that
single interaction change their alcohol consumption and months later
they are still consuming less than before contact with SBIRT.”
The project was made possible specifically because of a
Transformation State Incentive Grant through the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration.
Press release dated: February 4, 2009
|
