Schwartz, R.P., Gryczynski, J., Mitchell, S.G., Gonzales, A., Moseley, A., Peterson, T.R., Ondersma, S.J., & O’Grady, K.E. (2014). Computerized versus in-person brief intervention for drug misuse: A randomized clinical trial. Addiction. 109, 1091-1098. PMID: 24520906.
A computerized brief intervention (CBI) for drug use was compared to an in-person brief intervention (IBI) in this randomized controlled trial. Adult patients in a primary care clinic were screened for substance use using the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). Three-hundred sixty patients with moderate ASSIST drug or alcohol scores were randomly assigned to either the CBI or the IBI. Participants’ substance use was then assessed 3 months after receiving the intervention. Overall, participants in both groups had equivalent decreases in global substance use scores, based on the ASSIST. The CBI group also had greater decreases in cannabis and cocaine ASSIST scores at 3 months. The percent of positive drug tests did not decrease during the course of the study. Results show that the CBI and the IBI had comparable effects for patients with moderate substance use.