Abstract

Alcohol associated trauma in adolescents is a major public health problem. Often, intoxicated adolescents and adolescents with trauma are cared for in the Emergency Department (ED). The NIH recommends screening for alcohol misuse for all adolescents. Emergency Departments have been shown to be effective locations for screening and intervention programs; however the appropriate screening tools and the effectiveness is not known for adolescents. The proposed randomized control trial examines the effectiveness of 1) a computerized alcohol screening to identify adolescent patients at risk of alcohol misuse and 2) a brief intervention (SBI) to decrease alcohol consumption in adolescent patients. Adolescent ED patients will complete validated computer-based questionnaires that are designed to assess adolescents’ alcohol drinking habits and hazardous drinking consumption. Based on the results of these questionnaires, patients who are identified as at-risk for alcohol misuse will be randomized into a control or intervention group. Control participants will be given the standard of care, which is an informational brochure about alcohol use. Intervention participants will complete a computerized screening and brief intervention (SBI) and receive an informational brochure about alcohol. The effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated by comparing the proportion of subjects who report any alcohol consumption reported at baseline and three month follow-up scores. This study will add to the body of knowledge on the effectiveness of computerized alcohol SBI among patients less than 18 years old to identify adolescents who are at-risk for alcohol misuse and help prevent alcohol-related misuse and injuries.