Evaluation of Bureau Practice for Illegal Drugs Use Among Teens

The Bureau of Substance Abuse Treatment Recovery and Prevention, which oversees drug intervention services for Detroit residents, has found the city\u27s illegal drug use among teens to mirror national rates. Illegal drug use is associated with addiction, major health problems, and stigma. Incorporating evidence-based screening during all teen health care visits would decrease missed opportunities to identify at-risk behaviors, the number of teens that do not receive intervention, and the stigma associated with screening. The purpose of this project was to develop evidence-based policy and practice guidelines for teen screening services for illegal drug use. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model was used to guide the project. An interdisciplinary team of direct service and administrative staff selected questions based on 6 key words---car, relax, alone, forget, friends, and trouble (CRAFFT)---to screen teens for illegal drug use. The interdisciplinary team also developed a teen screening policy along with practice guidelines for the screening policy, implementation plan, and project evaluation. A review of the literature provided support for the project methods. Two experts in the field of substance abuse provided content validity for the policy and practice guidelines, and concluded that the CRAFFT screening questions were valid for evidence-based screening for illegal drug use among teens, that the PDSA model was effective to guide the project, and that an interdisciplinary team approach was effective to address the issue. These findings may improve identification of at-risk teens, decrease missed screening opportunities, decrease stigma, and align the Bureau with current trends in substance abuse treatment