A Preliminary Evaluation of SBIRT Implementation In The Colorado State Employee Assistance Program

Abstract

Peer Assistance Services, Inc. (Peer Assistance) contracted with the OMNI Institute to conduct a preliminary evaluation of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) implementation in the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program (C-SEAP). By July 1, 2009, Peer Assistance had trained C-SEAP counselors an SBIRT protocols to assist C-SEAP in implementing an evidenced-based, systematic process for identifying and serving Colorado State employees with risky substance use. "The goals of the preliminary evaluation were twofold: 1) to work with C-SEAP to develop a data infrastructure for a continuous quality improvement system to assess the effectiveness of SBIRT in EAP settings and 2) to conduct preliminary data analyses evaluating SBIRT in C-SEAP using historical data. To achieve the first evaluation objective, an ACCESS database was developed to collect SBIRT screening data, workplace outcomes data, and health utilization infprmation at intake and at a 90 day follow-up assessment. The system is currently being used by C-SEAP staff to collect intake data in these additional domains. To achieve the second objective, C-SEAP provided OMNI with historical data to answer the following evaluation questions developed through collaboration with Dr. Eric Goplerud from George Washington University, Peer Assistance, and C-SEAP: 1. Did routine screening, using SBIRT guidelines, increase detection rates of at-risk substance use among employees utilizing C-SEAP services; compared to non-routine, non-standard assessments of substance use? 2. Did employees identified as at-risk substance users through SBIRT possess socio-demographic characteristics different from employees who self-identified with a substance use problem? 3. Did employees engage in more C-SEAP sessions with counselors following SBIRT implementation compared to prior to SBIRT implementation?