Alcohol and Other Drug Use Screenings by Nurse Practitioners: Clinical Issues and Costs

• Alcohol and other drug use can negatively impact patient health, but Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an approach to early intervention targeting nondependent substance use in patients.
• Nurse Practitioners (NPs) can use the effective evidence-based practice, SBIRT, to identify and intervene briefly with patients to help them reduce the health risks associated with substance use.
• A case study emphasizing SBIRT in practice is presented and discussed.
• Barriers and facilitators to NP use of SBIRT are reviewed.

Nurse practitioners are in a unique position to be able to advance the model of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) in primary care settings. In this study we review the SBIRT model as it applies to the role of the nurse practitioner in practice. A case study emphasizing SBIRT as a “teachable moment” is presented and discussed. Finally, the barriers and facilitators to nurse practitioners’ use of SBIRT are reviewed.