The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance involvement Screening Test (‎ASSIST)‎: manual for use in primary care

The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance involvement Screening Test (‎ASSIST)‎: manual for use in primary care

This manual is a companion to ‘The ASSIST linked brief intervention for hazardous and harmful substance use: manual for use in primary care’1 and is based on ‘The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST): Guidelines for Use in Primary Care. Draft Version 1.1 for Field Testing’2 . The purpose of this manual is to introduce the ASSIST and to describe how to use it in health care settings – particularly community based primary health care settings – to identify people who are using substances, so that a brief intervention (or referral) can be provided, as appropriate. The manual will describe:

  • rationale for screening and brief intervention;
  • problems related to substance use; 
  • the development and validation of the ASSIST;
  • how to use the ASSIST (administration, scoring and interpretation of scores);
  • motivational interviewing tips to facilitate the process of asking about substance use;
  • how to incorporate ASSIST screening in everyday practice.

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