Takeaway
- People aged 12-18 years with a history of substance use and who participated in a computer-facilitated system for youth substance use screening and brief intervention (CSBI) before visiting their pediatrician had a longer period between that visit and their next use of cannabis and were less likely to ride in a car with a substance-impaired driver.
Why this matters
- Although the findings are preliminary, the researchers suggest that a computer-based tool may help pediatricians better screen patients for substance use.
Study design
- Study of 871 patients with a history of substance use (age, 12-18 years) randomly assigned to CSBI (n=628) or usual care (n=243).
- Funding: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; others.
Key results
- 24.3% of the participants reported any use of alcohol or cannabis within 12 months (alcohol, 22.1%; cannabis, 12.2%).
- Patients in the CSBI vs usual care group had significantly longer time to first postvisit cannabis use (aHR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.41-0.94).
- No significant difference was observed in time to postvisit first alcohol use or heavy episodic drinking.
- At 12 months, patients in the CSBI vs usual care group reported significant reduction in riding with an impaired driver (38.3% vs 68.4%; adjusted relative risk ratio, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.37-0.91).
Limitations
- Self-reported data.
Coauthored with Antara Ghosh, PhD
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