312617
Screening and detection of illicit and untreated drug use among community health center patients in Los Angeles County
Methods: The QUIT study was conducted at five of the largest CHC’s in Los Angeles County. The screening tool combined the Electronic Materials Management Application (EMMA), an innovative self-administered technology which uses talking tablet PCs (text and audio in English and Spanish) for improved reporting of sensitive drug use conditions, with the brief World Health Organization ASSIST screener. Drug use was categorized as ‘low’, ‘moderate’ or ‘high’ risk. A total of 3,915 completed the screening tool.
Results: Average time to complete the screening tool was 4.9 minutes. Among the patients that completed the tool, 71% scored in the no/low use categories, 22% scored in the moderate use category and 7% scored in the high use category. The substances used most frequently were tobacco (32%), alcohol (21%), cannabis (20%), and crack/cocaine (12%).
Conclusions: Community health centers and health plans are now required under the ACA to routinely screen all patients to improve the detection of drug use conditions. The QUIT study provides evidence of a brief, highly innovative and effective tool for detecting sensitive drug use behaviors in busy CHC’s.
Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and preventionEpidemiology
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Describe an innovative technological tool that screens for sensitive drug use behaviors.
Describe the rates of moderate risk and high risk drug use behaviors among primary care patients in Los Angeles County.
Discuss the screening tool as brief and effective method that could satisfy the ACA requirement concerning the screening and detection of drug use conditions.
Keyword(s): Community Health Planning, Drug Abuse
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I received an MPP in Health Policy, and I am a point person who help to spearhead the development of the Electronic Materials Management Application (EMMA) and the QUIT study screening tool.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.