Participant perspectives on the Australian WHO ASSIST Phase III brief intervention for illicit drug use in a primary healthcare setting
David Newcombe A B D , Rachel Humeniuk B C , Victoria Dennington B and Robert Ali AA World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research in the Treatment of Drug and Alcohol Problems, Discipline of Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
B Centre for Addiction Research and School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
C Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia, 91 Magill Road, Stepney, SA 5069, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: d.newcombe@auckland.ac.nz
Australian Journal of Primary Health 24(6) 518-523 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY18035
Submitted: 4 March 2018 Accepted: 10 July 2018 Published: 27 September 2018
Abstract
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.
Additional keywords: illicit drugs, motivational interviewing, primary health care, screening and brief intervention.
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