Screening for Adolescent Alcohol and Other Drug Use by Jefferson Providers: Methods, Barriers and Facilitators

The purpose of this study was to identify the methods, barriers and facilitators to routine screening of adolescents for alcohol and other drug use by Jefferson providers. A 27 question online survey was developed. In October and November, 2016, a link to the survey was emailed to over 500 providers and posted in an online Physician Hospital Organization newsletter. Fifty-nine providers responded and 44 surveys met the inclusion criteria. Forty-one percent of providers (n = 18) “Always” screened adolescents for alcohol use during routine visits and 38.6% (n = 17) “Always” screened adolescents for drug use during routine visits, both below the recommended guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. In addition, only 2 providers (4.5%) noted use of the CRAFFT screening tool. Seventy-three percent (n = 32) of providers had neither heard of nor used the CRAFFT screening tool. Providers were receptive to incorporating electronic screening tools (out of those providing oral and paper form screenings, 84%, n = 37 providers said they would consider adding electronic screening to their practices) as well as training for both current providers and support staff (84%, n = 37 providers responded they would be interested or they might be interested in full-day SBIRT training). With 43% (n = 19) of providers noting they prefer screening be conducted by other staff in their practice prior to seeing their patient, additional training is highly recommended. Focus groups should be used to collect further information on current practices and provider workflows. A change team of committed individuals should be formed to strengthen the screening process by 1) making recommendations to maximize screening rates 2) incorporating the use of a validated screening tool 3) advocating for screening tools and/or reminders to be included in Epic (Jefferson’s EHR system) and 4) supporting training for current providers and support staff. Presentation: 18:4