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A study reported in the December 2007 issue of the Annals of EmergencyMedicine found that emergency department (ED) patients who underwent a regimenof SBIRT reported lower rates of risky drinking at the three-month follow-upthan those who received only written information about reducing theirdrinking.
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SBIRT in the emergency department is a procedure by which health careworkers screen patients for alcohol use and take advantage of the "teachablemoment" to provide a brief intervention. This is designed to motivate patientswho exhibit unhealthy drinking behaviors to cut back or quit drinking, or toaccept a referral for further assessment and treatment. All of these360 emergency nurses have made a formal commitment to the ENA to begin anofficial program based on the new ENA SBIRT tool kit. ENA has distributedthese tool kits free of charge to institutions across the country.
"When people come to the emergency department with an alcohol ordrug-related illness or injury, it is a unique moment when a message ofcurtailed or discontinued consumption can be very effective," said EricChristensen, RN, BSN, CEN. "As nurses, we need to be prepared to takeadvantage of that moment and the ENA SBIRT tool kit helps us do that. It giveshospitals the materials they need to train their nurses in this potentiallylife-saving process."
In demonstration projects over the past several years, the SBIRT procedurehas been shown to be so effective that as of 2008, this procedure nowqualifies for re-imbursement from Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurers.
"The SBIRT procedure does not focus solely on patients who suffer fromalcoholism. It targets every patient served by the ED," said 2008 ENAPresident Denise King, RN, MSN, CEN. "Fewer alcohol and substance relatedpatients means shorter waits, reduced staff work loads, safer emergencydepartments, and a safer community as a whole."
The development of the ENA SBIRT implementation tool kit was financiallysupported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Thetool kit includes a health care professional manual explaining the goals andconcepts of SBIRT, a laminated pocket guide for quick reference to screeningquestions and patient assessment, an interactive training video on DVD, androle-plays. For more information on the tool kit, visithttp://www.ena.org/ipinstitute/SBIRT/default.asp.
About the Emergency Nurses Association
The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) is the only professional nursingassociation dedicated to defining the future of emergency nursing andemergency care through advocacy, expertise, innovation, and leadership.Founded in 1970, ENA serves as the voice of more than 32,000 members and theirpatients through research, publications, professional development, injuryprevention, and patient education. Additional information is available atENA's Web site, at http://www.ena.org.
SOURCE Emergency Nurses Association
