Adapting SBIRT for Older Adults

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Abstract

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based practice for identifying and reducing problematic use of alcohol or other substances. It incorporates a public health approach of large-scale, universal prescreening often conducted in healthcare settings and follows with brief advice for those identified as moderate risk for substance use problems, brief treatment for those at moderate to high risk, or referral to treatment for those at highest risk. This chapter discusses adaptation of the SBIRT initiative based on experience with the Florida BRITE Project (BRief Intervention and Treatment for Elders) involving over 85,000 screenings. Important lessons were learned from BRITE when comparing implementation in non-healthcare vs. healthcare settings and when considering age-appropriate screening criteria to determine risk of substance misuse in the older adult population.

Keywords

SBIRT Screening Brief intervention BRITE Risk Referral to treatment 
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Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing AG 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Mental Health Law and PolicyLouis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, University of South FloridaTampaUSA

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