Bridging the Gap: Drug and Alcohol Screening in Adolescent Trauma Patients

Contribution of Substance Use in Acute Injuries With Regards to the Intent, Nature and Context of Injury: A CHIRPP Database Study

“…It is often the interface between the traditional health care system and vulnerable populations such as homeless persons [14], domestic violence victims [15] and older adults who are known to be at risk of violence-related events and substance abuse [16]. Various studies support the implementation of substance use screening tools for trauma patients in the ED [1,10] and our results suggest that patients with deliberate physical injuries could potentially deserve greater screening.…”

“…The ED provides a unique opportunity for screening and early intervention for behaviours such as alcohol and substance use [10]. It is often the interface between the traditional health care system and vulnerable populations such as homeless persons [14], domestic violence victims [15] and older adults who are known to be at risk of violence-related events and substance abuse [16].…”

“…While most studies that have explored the link between substance use and injuries in the emergency department (ED) among adults focused on the substances’ nature [ 8 - 10 ], data relative to the patients’ and injuries’ characteristics associated with a general substance use are lacking. To our knowledge, only one other study has examined simultaneously the characteristics of injuries caused during substance use and intent status of the injury in a socioeconomic country similar to Canada [ 11 ].…”

Differences in testing for drugs of abuse amongst racial and ethnic groups at children's hospitals

“…31 For this reason, protocolized drug screening has been advocated as a way to reduce racial/ethnic disparities. 32,33 Supporting evidence is mixed, however, as even under universal screening child protective services referrals often follow racialized patterns. 34,35 Suboptimal adherence to testing protocols may contribute, 36 as well as testing policies that include indications such as late to prenatal care which reinforce pre-existing disparities associated with systemic racism.…”

Integration of the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Screening Instrument Into School Nurse Practice

“…SBIRT is an evidence-based process used to screen for substance use. The screening to brief intervention tool, or S2BI is a brief screening instrument funded by NIDA and validated to screen substance use in adolescents (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2021; Falvo & Schmid, 2018; Levey, 2015). The S2BI guides providers algorithmically through a client’s responses to the questions “In the past year, how many times have you used: Tobacco?…”