Thirteen substance use prevention researchers and experts convened at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation on February 20 – 21, 2018, for the Youth Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Research Roundtable: Current Status and Future Directions.
This two-day meeting was held to discuss current SBIRT research and updates to inform our Substance Use Prevention Strategic Initiative. The objectives of the roundtable discussion included reviewing the current landscape of research for youth SBIRT, identifying new opportunities in SBIRT research and practice nationwide, and developing a set of recommendations for research to further youth SBIRT in health care and other community-based settings.
“There was consensus among the experts that the [Hilton Foundation’s Substance Use Prevention Strategic] Initiative has significantly increased the visibility and validity of the SBIRT framework and brand by normalizing substance use screening for adolescents…”
After “deep dive” presentations on each of the components of SBIRT, attendees agreed on key recommendations for the substance use prevention field moving forward. These recommendations involve establishing concrete ways to measure outcomes, studying the effectiveness of SBIRT for marginalized youth, offering guidance on the key components of SBIRT across settings, building workforce capacity and involving new workforces in SBIRT practices, shifting the culture to normalize conversations and interventions for youth substance use, and studying the preventive effects of SBIRT within communities.
We are grateful to our grantees and partners for participating in these roundtable discussions and for their ongoing work in the field of youth substance use prevention.