Computerizing NIAAA’s Best Practices for Youth Screening and Brief Intervention: A Proof-of-Concept Pilot Study of an Automated Alcohol Screening and Intervention Resource Tool

Abstract

This article reports findings from formative research on translating key elements of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and American Academy of Pediatrics Practitioner’s Guide for pediatric alcohol misuse to a computerized web- and mobile-compatible format with patient risk screening and tailored decision support content. Five practitioners at an urban primary care center used a prototype computerized version of the NIAAA/American Academy of Pediatrics Practitioner’s Guide with 80 adolescent patients during routine health-care visits. Practitioners reported a high level of practitioner and adolescent patient engagement and satisfaction with the prototype. Study findings indicate that computerization of the NIAAA Practitioner’s Guide is feasible and well accepted by providers and adolescent patients and could be useful for addressing alcohol misuse in primary care settings.