Project QUIT (Quit Using Drugs Intervention Trial): a randomized controlled trial of a primary care-based multi-component brief intervention to reduce risky drug use

Lillian Gelberg; Ronald M Andersen; Abdelmonem A Afifi; Barbara D Leake; Lisa Arangua; Mani Vahidi; Kyle Singleton; Julia Yacenda-Murphy; Steve Shoptaw; Michael F Fleming; Sebastian E Baumeister

doi:10.1111/add.12993

Project QUIT (Quit Using Drugs Intervention Trial): a randomized controlled trial of a primary care-based multi-component brief intervention to reduce risky drug use

Addiction. 2015 Nov;110(11):1777-90. doi: 10.1111/add.12993.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Department of Family Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
² University of California at Los Angeles, Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
³ University of California at Los Angeles, Medical Imaging Informatics Group, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁴ Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
⁵ Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Regensburg, Germany.
⁶ Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.

Abstract

Aims: To assess the effect of a multi-component primary care delivered brief intervention for reducing risky psychoactive drug use (RDU) among patients identified by screening.

Design: Multicenter single-blind two-arm randomized controlled trial of patients enrolled from February 2011 to November 2012 with 3-month follow-up. Randomization and allocation to trial group were computer-generated.

Setting: Primary care waiting rooms of five federally qualified health centers in Los Angeles County (LAC), USA.

Participants: A total of 334 adult primary care patients (171 intervention; 163 control) with RDU scores (4-26) on the World Health Organization (WHO) Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) self-administered on tablet computers. 261 (78%) completed follow-up. Mean age was 41.7 years; 62.9% were male; 37.7% were Caucasian.

Intervention(s) and measurement: Intervention patients received brief (typically 3-4 minutes) clinician advice to quit/reduce their drug use reinforced by a video doctor message, health education booklet and up to two 20-30-minute follow-up telephone drug use coaching sessions. Controls received usual care and cancer screening information. Primary outcome was patient self-reported use of highest scoring drug (HSD) at follow-up.

Findings: Intervention and control patients reported equivalent baseline HSD use at 3-month follow-up. After adjustment for covariates, in the complete sample linear regression model, intervention patients used their HSD on 3.5 fewer days in the previous month relative to controls (P<0.001), and in the completed sample model, intervention patients used their HSD 2.2 fewer days than controls (P < 0.005). No compensatory increases in use of other measured substances were found.

Conclusions: A primary-care based, clinician-delivered brief intervention with follow-up coaching calls may decrease risky psychoactive drug use.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01942876.

Keywords: Brief intervention; community health centers; motivational interviewing; primary care; randomized controlled trial; risky drug use.

Publication types

Multicenter Study
Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Adult
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / methods*
Female
Humans
Los Angeles
Male
Middle Aged
Motivational Interviewing / methods*
Pamphlets
Patient Education as Topic / methods*
Primary Health Care*
Psychotherapy, Brief / methods*
Single-Blind Method
Substance-Related Disorders / therapy*
Telephone
Video Recording

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01942876

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Associated data

Grants and funding