Screening and brief interventions for substance use problems
Screening and brief interventions aim to identify current or potential problems with substance use and motivate people at risk to change their behaviour. Brief interventions should be personalised and offered in a supportive, non-judgemental manner.
WHO works with Member States to reduce substance use and harmful drinking through screening and brief intervention initiatives, and developing technical guidance on how best to manage problems of substance abuse in non-specialist health care settings.
WHO’s Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was developed as a simple international method of screening for excessive drinking and to assist in brief assessment in primary care settings. It can help identify excessive drinking as the cause of the presenting illness. It provides a framework for intervention to help risky drinkers reduce or cease alcohol consumption and thereby avoid the harmful consequences of their drinking.
The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) and the ASSIST-linked brief interventions is a quick and easy to learn screening test for all substances including alcohol and tobacco, but also cannabis, amphetamine-type stimulants, cocaine and opioids. It consists of a brief questionnaire, a guide for health professionals on how to use the questionnaire and also a self-help manual for cutting down or stopping substance use.
