Alcohol Excessive Consumption: Electronic Screening and Brief Interventions (e-SBI)

Summary of CPSTF Finding

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends electronic screening and brief intervention (e-SBI) to reduce self-reported excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems.

Intervention

Electronic screening and brief intervention (e-SBI) to reduce excessive alcohol consumption uses electronic devices (e.g., computers, telephones, or mobile devices) to facilitate the delivery of key elements of traditional screening and brief intervention.

With traditional screening and brief intervention (SBI), providers assess patients’ drinking patterns and offer those who screen positive for excessive drinking with a brief, face-to-face intervention that includes feedback about associated risks, changing drinking patterns, and referral to treatment if appropriate.

At a minimum, e-SBI involves

  1. Screening individuals for excessive drinking, and
  2. Delivering a brief intervention, which provides personalized feedback about the risks and consequences of excessive drinking.

Delivery of personalized feedback can range from being fully automated (e.g., computer-based) to interactive (e.g., provided by a person over the telephone). At least one part of the brief intervention must be delivered by an electronic device.

The brief intervention provided using e-SBI techniques may include other common elements of SBI, such as

  • Motivational interviewing techniques (e.g., assessment of readiness to change, emphasis on personal freedom to choose one’s drinking patterns)
  • Comparisons of an individual’s own alcohol consumption with that of others (e.g., college students in the same school)

Interventions can be delivered in various settings, including healthcare systems, universities, or communities.

CPSTF Finding and Rationale Statement

Read the full CPSTF Finding and Rationale Statement for details including implementation issues, possible added benefits, potential harms, and evidence gaps.

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About The Systematic Review

The CPSTF finding is based on evidence from a systematic review of 31 studies with 36 study arms (search period 1970 October 2011).

The review was conducted on behalf of the CPSTF by a team of specialists in systematic review methods, and in research, practice, and policy related to preventing excessive alcohol consumption.

Summary of Results

More details about study results are available in the CPSTF Finding and Rationale Statement.

The systematic review included 31 studies with 36 study arms.

  • Included studies assessed changes in excessive alcohol consumption and related harms after use of e-SBI. Participants were categorized into two groups:
    • Excessive drinkers, i.e., those who reported drinking above an established threshold
    • All participants, i.e., the entire sample of people exposed to the brief intervention, including those above and below threshold for excessive drinking
  • The definition of binge and heavy drinking varied slightly across studies. Binge drinking is typically defined as five or more drinks for a man, and four or more drinks for a woman, per occasion; heavy drinking is typically defined as more than 14 drinks for a man, and more than seven drinks for a woman, per week.

Alcohol Consumption

Included studies showed decreases in alcohol consumption following the use of e-SBI.

  • Binge drinking frequency (i.e., number of binge drinking occasions per month)
    • Excessive drinkers: 16.5% median reduction (8 studies with 9 study arms)
    • All participants: 1.8% median reduction (2 studies)
  • Mean drinking intensity (i.e., average number of drinks per occasion or estimated blood alcohol concentration [BAC])
    • Excessive drinkers: 5.5% median reduction (11 studies with 14 study arms)
    • All participants: 13.5% median reduction (2 studies)
  • Peak consumption per occasion (i.e., maximum number of drinks per occasion or estimated peak BAC)
    • Excessive drinkers: 23.9% median reduction (8 studies with 9 study arms)
    • All participants: 19.1% median reduction (5 studies)
  • Frequency of alcohol consumption per month (i.e., number of days per month when any amount of alcohol was consumed)
    • Excessive drinkers: 11.5% median reduction (7 studies with 8 study arms)
    • All participants: 14.4% median reduction (1 study)
  • Mean number of drinks consumed per month
    • Excessive drinkers: 13.8% median reduction (13 studies with 16 study arms)
    • All participants: 16.2% median reduction (5 studies with 7 study arms)
  • Proportion of participants who changed their drinking patterns
    • Proportion of participants who exceeded guidelines for binge drinking: 3.2% median reduction (5 studies)
    • Proportion of participants who exceeded guidelines for heavy drinking: 15.0% median reduction (4 studies)

Alcohol-Related Harms (scores from scales assessing multiple problems)

  • Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score
    • Excessive drinkers: 1.1 point decrease in the favorable direction (3 studies with 4 study arms)
    • All participants: 0.9 point decrease (1 study)
  • Other scores were reported using various scales, such as the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index, and could not be combined to calculate the magnitude of the effect.
    • Favorable intervention effects were reported in 12 of the 17 study arms, and seven of the effects were statistically significant.
    • The remaining five study arms showed an increase in alcohol-related problems or no effect; none of the results were statistically significant.

Summary of Economic Evidence

More details about study results are available in the CPSTF Finding and Rationale Statement.

The economic review included three studies. Two studies from the Netherlands reported costs and benefits, and one study from the United States reported benefits only in terms of annual costs averted. All values are reported in 2011 U.S. dollars.

  • One study estimated e-SBI would save the U.S. military $136 million annually through healthcare costs averted, increased productivity, decreased non-deployability, and decreased early separation.
  • Another study estimated the average cost per user per year to be $57, with a benefit-to-cost ratio of 12:1, and a net savings of $468 per capita.
  • A third study estimated the cost per user would vary from $12 to $258, depending on intervention intensity. The study found that partially substituting face-to-face interventions with e-Health interventions would result in similar disability adjusted life years (DALY) averted while decreasing costs of alcohol interventions by $84.8 million per year.

Although the available evidence indicates e-SBI has the potential to be cost-saving, additional studies in a broader range of contexts are necessary to adequately assess the economic merits of this intervention.

Applicability

Based on settings and populations from included studies, the CPSTF finding should be applicable to the following.

  • Interventions implemented in university settings, healthcare settings, and communities
  • Adults of all ages
  • Men and women

Included studies reported limited data on effectiveness by race/ethnicity, and only one study provided information about program effectiveness among adolescents.

Evidence Gaps

The CPSTF identified several areas that have limited information. Additional research and evaluation could help answer the following questions and fill remaining gaps in the evidence base. What are evidence gaps?

  • How effective is e-SBI in settings other than colleges and healthcare organizations (e.g., military, worksites, public health organizations) and among specific populations (e.g., adolescents, racial and ethnic groups)?
  • What are the relative benefits of e-SBI and traditional alcohol screening and brief intervention?
  • What is the optimal level of intervention intensity? What is the relative effectiveness of different types of feedback?
  • What is the long-term effectiveness of e-SBI (i.e., beyond 12 months)?
  • Do “booster sessions” improve the long-term effectiveness of e-SBI?
  • What are the costs of developing and implementing e-SBI in the United States?
  • What is the cost-effectiveness of e-SBI in communities that have widely implemented this intervention?

Study Characteristics

  • All included studies used randomized control trials, and most had follow-up periods of 6 12 months.
  • Studies provided results for excessive drinkers only (24 studies with 28 study arms) or all drinkers (7 studies with 8 study arms).
  • Nearly two-thirds of the studies used probability sampling designs or attempted to recruit everyone willing to participate.
  • In approximately 60% of the studies, participants were screened for excessive consumption through automated methods (most often through the internet).
  • More than 80% of the brief interventions were delivered solely through automated methods.
  • Evaluated interventions were conducted in universities (17 studies), healthcare settings (11 studies), and communities (8 studies).
  • Nearly half (17 studies) were conducted in the United States.

Analytic Framework

Effectiveness Review

Analytic Framework [PDF – 58 KB
When starting an effectiveness review, the systematic review team develops an analytic framework. The analytic framework illustrates how the intervention approach is thought to affect public health. It guides the search for evidence and may be used to summarize the evidence collected. The analytic framework often includes intermediate outcomes, potential effect modifiers, potential harms, and potential additional benefits.

Summary Evidence Table

Included Studies

The number of studies and publications do not always correspond (e.g., a publication may include several studies or one study may be explained in several publications).

Effectiveness Review

Bewick BM, Trusler K, Mulhern B, Barkham M, Hill AJ. The feasibility and effectiveness of a web-based personalised feedback and social norms alcohol intervention in UK university students: a randomised control trial. Addictive Behaviors 2008;33(9):1192-8.

Bewick BM, West R, Gill J, et al. Providing web-based feedback and social norms information to reduce student alcohol intake: a multisite investigation. Journal of Medical Internet Research 2010;12(5):e59.

Bischof G, Grothues JM, Reinhardt S, Meyer C, John U, Rumpf HJ. Evaluation of a telephone-based stepped care intervention for alcohol-related disorders: a randomized controlled trial. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 2008;93(3):244-51.

Boon B, Risselada A, Huiberts A, Riper H, Smit F. Curbing alcohol use in male adults through computer generated personalized advice: randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research 2011;13(2):e43.

Bryant ZE. Testing the effectiveness of e-mailed BASICS feedback with college students [Dissertation]: Auburn University; 2009.

Chiauzzi E, Green TC, Lord S, Thum C, Goldstein M. My student body: a high-risk drinking prevention web site for college students. Journal of American College Health 2005;53(6):263-74.

Cunningham JA, Wild TC, Cordingley J, Van Mierlo T, Humphreys K. Twelve-month follow-up results from a randomized controlled trial of a brief personalized feedback intervention for problem drinkers. Alcohol and Alcoholism 2010;45(3):258-62.

Doumas DM, Haustveit T, Coll KM. Reducing heavy drinking among first year intercollegiate athletes: a randomized controlled trial of web-based normative feedback. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology 2010;22(3):247-61.

Doumas DM, Kane CM, Navarro TB, Roman J. Decreasing heavy drinking in first-year students: evaluation of a web-based personalized feedback program administered during orientation. Journal of College Counseling 2011;14(1):5-20.

Eberhard S, Nordstrom G, Hoglund P, Ojehagen A. Secondary prevention of hazardous alcohol consumption in psychiatric out-patients: a randomised controlled study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2009;44(12):1013-21.

Ekman DS, Andersson A, Nilsen P, Stahlbrandt H, Johansson AL, Bendtsen P. Electronic screening and brief intervention for risky drinking in Swedish university students–a randomized controlled trial. Addictive Behaviors 2011;36(6):654-9.

Hedman AS. Effects of personalized feedback and tailored health communication on alcohol consumption, alcohol-related behaviors, and attitude among binge drinking college students [Dissertation]: University of Kansas; 2007.

Hester RK, Delaney HD. Behavioral self-control program for Windows: results of a controlled clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1997;65(4):686-93.

Hester RK, Delaney HD, Campbell W. ModerateDrinking.Com and moderation management: outcomes of a randomized clinical trial with non-dependent problem drinkers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2011;79(2):215-24.

Hester RK, Squires DD, Delaney HD. The Drinker’s Check-up: 12-month outcomes of a controlled clinical trial of a stand-alone software program for problem drinkers. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 2005;28(2):159-69.

Kypri K, Hallett J, Howat P, et al. Randomized controlled trial of proactive web-based alcohol screening and brief intervention for university students. Archives of Internal Medicine 2009;169(16):1508-14.

Kypri K, Langley JD, Saunders JB, Cashell-Smith ML, Herbison P. Randomized controlled trial of web-based alcohol screening and brief intervention in primary care. Archives of Internal Medicine 2008;168(5):530-6.

Kypri K, Saunders JB, Williams SM, et al. Web-based screening and brief intervention for hazardous drinking: a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Addiction 2004;99(11):1410-7.

Martens MP, Kilmer JR, Beck NC, Zamboanga BL. The efficacy of a targeted personalized drinking feedback intervention among intercollegiate athletes: a randomized controlled trial.Psychology of Addictive Behaviors: Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors 2010;24(4):660-9.

Matano RA, Koopman C, Wanat SF, et al. A pilot study of an interactive web site in the workplace for reducing alcohol consumption. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 2007;32(1):71-80.

Mello MJ, Longabaugh R, Baird J, Nirenberg T, Woolard R. DIAL: a telephone brief intervention for high-risk alcohol use with injured emergency department patients. Annals of Emergency Medicine 2008;51(6):755-64.

Mignogna J. A test of moderating factors of brief interventions for hazardous alcohol use among college students. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering 2011;71(10-B):6446.

Neumann T, Neuner B, Weiss-Gerlach E, et al. The effect of computerized tailored brief advice on at-risk drinking in subcritically injured trauma patients. The Journal of Trauma 2006;61(4):805-14.

Riper H, Kramer J, Smit F, Conijn B, Schippers G, Cuijpers P. Web-based self-help for problem drinkers: a pragmatic randomized trial. Addiction 2008;103(2):218-27.

Spijkerman R, Roek MA, Vermulst A, Lemmers L, Huiberts A, Engels RC. Effectiveness of a web-based brief alcohol intervention and added value of normative feedback in reducing underage drinking: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research 2010;12(5):e65.

Suffoletto B, Callaway C, Kristan J, Kraemer K, Clark DB. Text-message-based drinking assessments and brief interventions for young adults discharged from the emergency department. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research 2011;36(3):552-60.

Sugarman DE. Web-based alcohol feedback intervention for heavy drinking college students: does drinking control strategy use mediate intervention effects? Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering 2010;70(11-B):7222.

Trinks A, Festin K, Bendtsen P, Nilsen P. Reach and effectiveness of a computer-based alcohol intervention in a Swedish emergency room. International Emergency Nursing 2010;18(3):138-46.

Walters ST, Vader AM, Harris TR. A controlled trial of web-based feedback for heavy drinking college students. Prevention Science: the Official Journal of the Society for Prevention Research 2007;8(1):83-8.

Walters ST, Vader AM, Harris TR, Field CA, Jouriles EN. Dismantling motivational interviewing and feedback for college drinkers: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2009;77(1):64-73.

Walton MA, Chermack ST, Shope JT, et al. Effects of a brief intervention for reducing violence and alcohol misuse among adolescents: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2010;304(5):527-35.

Economic Review

Harwood HJ, Zhang Y, Dall TM, Olaiva ST, Fagan NK. Economic implications of reduced binge drinking among the military health system’s TRICARE Prime plan beneficiaries. Military Medicine 2009;174(7):728-36.

Riper H. Curbing problem drinking in the digital galaxy. Amsterdam: Faculty of Psychology and Education, Vrije Universiteit; 2008.

Smit F, Lokkerbol J, Riper H, Majo MC, Boon B, Blankers M. Modeling the cost-effectiveness of health care systems for alcohol use disorders: how implementation of eHealth interventions improves cost-effectiveness. J Med Internet Res 2011;13(3):e56.

Additional Materials

Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Before Prescribing Opioids
Developed by CDC’s Alcohol Program

Planning and Implementing Screening and Brief Intervention for Risky Alcohol Use: A Step-by-Step Guide for Primary Care Practices
Developed by the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

Alcohol Screening Tool
Developed by CDC’s Alcohol Program, this free, evidence-based tool allows adults to anonymously check their drinking, identify barriers and motivators for drinking less, and print or save a personalized change plan. The tool is an example of eSBI. It was developed as part of the Drink Less, Be Your Best campaign, which provides resources and support to help adults drink less.

Search Strategies

A research librarian searched for published studies in the following databases: CINAHL; Dissertation Abstracts; EconLit; Embase; ERIC; Medline; NTIS (National Technical Information Service); PsycINFO; Social Services Abstracts; Sociological Abstracts; and Web of Science. Additional studies were identified via suggestions from subject matter experts and hand-searches of reference lists.

Studies were included if they:

  • Were primary research published in a journal, dissertation, or a technical or government report
  • Were published in English
  • Assessed an intervention implemented in a high-income country
  • Met minimum quality criteria for study design and execution study design must be randomized or non-randomized trial
  • Reported outcomes related to alcohol consumption or related harms
  • Evaluated an intervention meeting the definition of e-SBI
  • Were published from 1970 through October 2011.

Database: Medline (OVID); 1249 Results

  1. (alcoholic-drink* or alcoholic-beverage* or alcohol or liquor or drunk or intoxicat* or alcoholic-bing* or binge-drinking or alcohol-use or alcohol-problem or high-risk-drinking or binge-drinking or alcohol-abuse or alcohol-consumption or alcoholism).mp.
  2. (sbi or screening or brief-intervention* or sbirt or treatment* or health-screen* or motivational-interviewing or personalized-feedback or personalised-feedback or pfi or tailored-feedback or brief-motivational-intervention* or bfi).mp.
  3. (assert or asbir).mp.
  4. (alcohol screening brief intervention and referral).mp.
  5. (alcohol and substance abuse services education and referral and treat* program).mp.
  6. ((month* adj5 intervention*) or (month* adj5 program*) or (month* adj5 feedback) or (week* adj5 intervention*) or (week* adj5 program*) or (week* adj5 feedback)).mp.
  7. ((screen* adj5 intervention*) or (screen* adj5 feedback)).mp.
  8. (internet or online-information or website* or web-based or online-treatment* or computer* or cd-rom or ivr or telephon* or computer-delivered-intervention* or website-interactivity or online-information or computer-based or online or interactive-voice-response* or telephone-assessment* or interactive-technolog*).mp.
  9. 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7
  10. 1 and 8 and 9

Database: CINAHL (EBSCOhost); 386 Results

  1. alcohol* or drunk or intoxicat* or liquor or “binge drinking” or “high-risk drinking”
  2. internet or online or website* or “web site*” or “web based” or “cd-rom” or ivr or telephon* or computer* or “interactive voice response” or “interactive technology”
  3. sbi or “brief intervention*”or sbirt or treatment* or “motivational interview*” or “brief motivational intervention*” or pfi or bfi or assert or asbir or referral
  4. (screen* n5 feedback) or (screen* n5 intervention*) or (month* n5 program*) or (month* n5 intervention*) or (month* n5 feedback) or (week* n5 program*) or (week* n5 intervention*) or (week* n5 feedback)
  5. 3 or 4

Database: Dissertation Abstracts; 79 results

  1. ALCOHOLIC()DRINK? OR ALCOHOLIC()BEVERAGE? OR ALCOHOL OR LIQUOR OR DRUNK OR INTOXICAT? OR ALCOHOLIC()BING? OR BINGE()DRINKING OR ALCOHOL()USE OR ALCOHOL()PROBLEM OR HIGH()RISK()DRINKING OR BINGE()DRINKING OR ALCOHOL()ABUSE OR ALCOHOL()CONSUMPTION OR ALCOHOLISM
  2. INTERNET OR ONLINE()INFORMATION OR WEBSITE? ? OR WEB()SITE? ? OR WEB-BASED OR ONLINE()TREATMENT OR COMPUTER? OR CD()ROM OR IVR OR TELEPHONE OR COMPUTER()DELIVERED()INTERVENTION? ? OR WEBSITE()INTERACTIVITY OR COMPUTER()BASED OR ONLINE OR INTERACTIVE()VOICE()RESPONSE OR TELEPHONE()ASSESSMENT OR INTERACTIVE()TECHNOLOGY()APPLICATION? ?
  3. SBI OR BRIEF()INTERVENTION? ? OR SBIRT OR TREATMENT? ? OR HEALTH()SCREEN? OR MOTIVATIONAL()INTERVIEWING OR PERSONALI?ED()FEEDBACK OR PERSONALI?ED()FEEDBACK()INTERVENTION? ? OR PFI OR ALCOHOL(1W)SUBSTANCE()ABUSE()SERVICES()EDUCATION(1W)REFERRAL(1W)TREAT OR ASSERT OR TAILORED()FEEDBACK OR BRIEF()MOTIVATIONAL()INTERVENTION? ? OR BFI OR ALCOHOL()SCREENING()BRIEF()INTERVENTION(1W)REFERRAL? ? OR ASBIR OR (MONTH? (5N) INTERVENTION?) OR (MONTH? (5N) PROGRAM?) OR (MONTH? (5N) FEEDBACK) OR (WEEK? (5N) INTERVENTION?) OR (WEEK? (5N) PROGRAM?) OR (WEEK? (5N) FEEDBACK) OR (SCREEN? (5N) FEEDBACK) OR (SCREEN? (5N) INTERVENTION?)
  4. 1 AND 2 AND 3

Database: ECONLIT (EBSCOHost); 1 Result

  1. alcohol* or drunk or intoxicat* or liquor or “binge drinking” or “high-risk drinking”
  2. internet or online or website* or “web site*” or “web based” or “cd-rom” or ivr or telephon* or computer* or “interactive voice response” or “interactive technology”
  3. sbi or “brief intervention*” or sbirt or treatment* or “motivational interview*” or pfi or “brief motivational intervention*” or bfi or assert or asbir or referral or (screen* n5 feedback) or (screen* n5 intervention*) or (month* n5 intervention*) or (month* n5 program*) or (month* n5 feedback) or (week* n5 feedback) or (week* n5 intervention*) or (week* n5 program*)
  4. 1 and 2 and 3

Database: EMBASE (OVID); 3623 Results

  1. (alcoholic-drink* or alcoholic-beverage* or alcohol or liquor or drunk or intoxicat* or alcoholic-bing* or binge-drinking or alcohol-use or alcohol-problem or high-risk-drinking or binge-drinking or alcohol-abuse or alcohol-consumption or alcoholism).mp.
  2. (sbi or brief-intervention* or sbirt or treatment* or health-screen* or motivational-interviewing or personalized-feedback or personalised-feedback or pfi or tailored-feedback or brief-motivational-intervention* or bfi).mp.
  3. (assert or asbir).mp.
  4. (alcohol screening brief intervention and referral).mp.
  5. (alcohol and substance abuse services education and referral and treat* program).mp.
  6. ((month* adj5 intervention*) or (month* adj5 program*) or (month* adj5 feedback) or (week* adj5 intervention*) or (week* adj5 program*) or (week* adj5 feedback) or (screen* adj5 intervention*) or (screen* adj5 feedback)).mp.
  7. (internet or online-information or website* or web-based or online-treatment* or computer* or cd-rom or ivr or telephon* or computer-delivered-intervention* or website-interactivity or online-information or computer-based or online or interactive-voice-response* or telephone-assessment* or interactive-technolog*).mp.
  8. 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6
  9. 1 and 7 and 8

Database: ERIC (CSA ILLUMINA); 114 Results

  1. KW=alcohol* or KW=intoxicat* or KW=drunk or KW=liquor or KW=”binge drinking” or KW=”high-risk drinking”
  2. KW=internet or KW=online or KW=website* or KW=”web site*” or KW=”web based” or KW=computer* or KW=”interactive voice response” or KW=telephon* or KW=”interactive technolog*” or KW=”cd-rom” or KW=ivr
  3. KW=sbi or KW=”brief intervention*” or KW=sbirt or KW= treatment* or KW=”motivational interview*” or KW=assert or KW=”brief motivational” or KW=bfi or KW=asbir or KW=services or KW=referral* or KW=treat or KW=pfi or KW=screen* within 5 feedback or KW=screen*within 5 intervention* or KW=month* within 5 feedback or KW=month* within 5 program* or KW=month* within 5 intervention* or KW=week* within 5 program* or KW=week* within 5 intervention* or KW=week* within 5 feedback
  4. 1 AND 2 AND 3

Database: NTIS; 84 Results

  1. ALCOHOL? OR LIQUOR OR INTOXICAT? OR DRUNK OR BINGE()DRINKING OR HIGH()RISK()DRINKING
  2. INTERNET OR ONLINE OR WEBSITE? OR WEB()SITE?
  3. WEB()BASED OR COMPUTER? OR CD()ROM OR IVR OR TELEPHON?
  4. INTERACTIVE()VOICE()RESPONSE? OR INTERACTIVE()TECHNOLOG?
  5. 2 OR 3 OR 4
  6. SBI OR BRIEF()INTERVENTION? ?
  7. SBIRT OR TREATMENT? OR MOTIVATIONAL()INTERVIEW?
  8. ALCOHOL(1W)SUBSTANCE()ABUSE()SERVICES()EDUCATION(1W)REFERRAL(1W)TREAT
  9. BFI OR ASBIR
  10. PFI OR (MONTH? (5N) INTERVENTION?) OR (MONTH? (5N) FEEDBACK) OR (MONTH? (5N) PROGRAM?) OR (WEEK? (5N) INTERVENTION?) OR (WEEK? (5N) PROGRAM?) OR (WEEK? (5N) FEEDBACK) OR (SCREEN? (5N) FEEDBACK) OR (SCREEN? (5N) INTERVENTION?)
  11. ALCOHOL()SCREENING()BRIEF()INTERVENTION AND REFERRAL
  12. ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE()ABUSE()SERVICES()EDUCATION AND REFERRAL AND TREAT?()PROGRAM?
  13. 1 AND 5 AND (12 OR 11 OR 10 OR 9 OR 8 OR 7 OR 6)

Database: PsycINFO (OVID); 832 Results

  1. (alcoholic-drink* or alcoholic-beverage* or alcohol or liquor or drunk or intoxicat* or alcoholic-bing* or binge-drinking or alcohol-use* or alcohol-problem or high-risk-drinking or binge-drinking or alcohol-abuse* or alcohol-consumption or alcoholism).mp. [mp=title, abstract, heading word, table of contents, key concepts, original title, tests & measures]
  2. (sbi or brief-intervention* or sbirt or treatment* or health-screen* or motivational-interviewing or personalized-feedback or personalised-feedback or pfi or tailored-feedback or brief-motivational-intervention* or bfi).mp.
  3. (assert or asbir).mp.
  4. (alcohol screening brief intervention and referral).mp.
  5. (alcohol and substance abuse services education and referral and treat* program).mp.
  6. ((month* adj5 intervention*) or (month* adj5 program*) or (month* adj5 feedback) or (week* adj5 intervention*) or (week* adj5 program*) or (week* adj5 feedback)).mp.
  7. ((screen* adj5 intervention*) or (screen* adj5 feedback)).mp.
  8. (internet or online-information or website* or web-based or online-treatment* or computer* or cd-rom or ivr or telephon* or computer-delivered-intervention* or website-interactivity or online-information or computer-based or online or interactive-voice-response* or telephone-assessment* or interactive-technolog*).mp.
  9. 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7
  10. 1 and 8 and 9

Database: Social Services Abstracts (CSA); 181 Results

  1. kw=”binge drinking” or kw=”high-risk drinking” or kw=alcohol* or kw=intoxicat* or kw=drunk or kw=liquorandkw=sbi or kw=”brief intervention*” or kw=sbirt or kw=treatment* or kw=”motivational interview*” or kw=assert or kw=”brief motivational” or kw=bfi or kw=asbir or kw=services or kw=referral* or kw=treat or kw=pfi or kw=(month* within 5 program*) or kw=(month* within 5 intervention*) or kw=(month* within 5 feedback) or kw=(week* within 5 program*) or kw=(week* within 5 feedback) or kw=(week* within 5 intervention*) or kw=(screen* within 5 intervention*) or kw=(screen* within 5 feedback)andkw=internet or kw=online or kw=computer* or kw=website* or kw=”web site*” or kw=”web based” or kw=”interactive voice response” or kw=ivr or kw=telephon* or kw=”interactive technolog*” or kw=”cd-rom”

Database: Sociological Abstracts (CSA); 241 Results

  1. kw=”binge drinking” or kw=”high-risk drinking” or kw=alcohol* or kw=intoxicat* or kw=drunk or kw=liquorandkw=sbi or kw=”brief intervention*” or kw=sbirt or kw=treatment* or kw=”motivational interview*” or kw=assert or kw=”brief motivational” or kw=bfi or kw=asbir or kw=services or kw=referral* or kw=treat or kw=pfi or kw=(month* within 5 program*) or kw=(month* within 5 intervention*) or kw=(month* within 5 feedback) or kw=(week* within 5 program*) or kw=(week* within 5 feedback) or kw=(week* within 5 intervention*) or kw=(screen* within 5 intervention*) or kw=(screen* within 5 feedback)andkw=internet or kw=online or kw=computer* or kw=website* or kw=”web site*” or kw=”web based” or kw=”interactive voice response” or kw=ivr or kw=telephon* or kw=”interactive technolog*” or kw=”cd-rom”

Database: Web of Science (WoK Web of Knowledge); 1292 Results

  1. TS=(alcohol* or liquor or intoxicat* or “binge drinking” or “high-risk drinking” or drunk)
  2. TS=(internet or online or website* or “web site*” or “web based” or computer* or “cd-rom” or ivr or telephon* or “interactive voice response” or “interactive technolog*”)
  3. TS=(sbi or “brief intervention*” or pfi or sbirt or treatment* or “motivational interview*” or assert or ‘alcohol and substance abuse services education and referral to treat program’ or feedback or bfi or “brief motivational intervention*” or asbir) or
  4. TS=(screen* near/5 feedback) OR TS=(screen* near/5 intervention*) OR TS=(month* near/5 program*) OR TS=(month* near/5 feedback) OR TS=(month* near/5 intervention*) OR TS=(week* near/5 program*) OR TS=(week* near/5 feedback) OR TS=(week* near/5 intervention*)
  5. 1 AND 2 AND (3 OR 4)

Considerations for Implementation

The following considerations are drawn from studies included in the evidence review, the broader literature, and expert opinion.

  • e-SBI can be readily integrated into standard organizational practices in various settings.
  • e-SBI can be used to reach populations who would not otherwise be offered traditional SBI.
  • Steps should be taken to ensure quality control. Poorly designed e-SBI applications may not use validated screening measures or may provide inappropriate feedback to users. This could lead to misdiagnosis of alcohol problems or delivery of ineffective advice.
  • Interventions must protect participants’ personal information. This may be a particular concern in non-healthcare settings, where privacy protection may be weaker.