A randomised controlled trial of a brief intervention for illicit drug use linked to ASSIST screening in a primary healthcare setting: results from the Australian component of the World Health Organization Phase III ASSIST studies.

This report presents the findings from the Australian component of the Phase III World Health Organization (WHO) Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) randomised controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of a 5-10-min brief intervention (BI) for illicit drug use delivered in primary healthcare (PHC) settings. Participants (n=171) recruited from a South Australian PHC setting (sexual health clinic) who scored in the 'moderate risk' range on the ASSIST were randomly allocated to an intervention group or wait-list control group at baseline and were followed up 3 months later. The ASSIST was administered to both groups at baseline and follow up as a measure of relative risk. Those in the intervention group received a prescribed 10-step BI at baseline. The majority (n=63) of participants received the BI for amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) or cannabis (n=17). There was a significant reduction in total illicit substance (P<0.001) and ATS Involvement (P<0.01) for those receiving the ASSIST-linked BI, compared with control participants. There was no significant effect on cannabis involvement. The results of this study demonstrate that the ASSIST-linked BI may be a reasonably easy and effective way of reducing illicit substance use by Australian PHC clients.

Participant perspectives on the Australian WHO ASSIST Phase III brief intervention for illicit drug use in a primary healthcare setting.

This study explored the experience and self-reported changes in health behaviours of people in a primary healthcare setting who received a brief intervention (BI) for illicit drugs linked to the Alcohol Smoking Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). Eighty-two participants from a sexual health clinic in Adelaide, South Australia, who were involved in a randomised controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of an ASSIST-linked BI delivered at baseline, were re-interviewed 3 months later and were administered a semi-structured questionnaire designed to elicit participant perspectives on the BI. Overall, participants' comments were positive, with 78% reporting that the BI had some influence on their drug-taking behaviour; 72% reporting they had attempted to reduce drug use. Their comments highlighted several ways in which the BI helped them become 'aware' of the potential risks of using, the risks of continued substance use, the benefits of stopping or cutting down substance use and the strategies they used to change their behaviour. A smaller proportion of participants reported that the BI had no influence. These results indicate the ASSIST-linked BI is a brief, simple-to-administer intervention that provides participants with an opportunity to voluntarily and successfully enter into an intentional process of change.