APPLICATION OF ASSIST-BI SCREENING – PRIMARY CARE CENTER - MONTEVIDEO - URUGUAY - JULY 2015

The test to detect alcohol, tobacco and other substances (ASSIST) was developed by drug-addiction researchers and specialists sponsored by the WHO, since the use of psychoactive substances represents a public hesalth issue. It was designed to be applied at the Primary Care level (PNA). ASSIST consists of a questionnaire of eight questions which must be applied by trained healthcare professionals in 5 to 10 minutes. The design is culturally unbiased. The score provides a risk level for each substance, determining the most adequate intervention. (brief intervention – BI – or referral to a specialized service). It has gone through all the steps to confirm its validity and reliability, and to demonstrate that it can be connected to the BI. METHODOLOGY As part of the human resources’ training at the Medical School of Uruguay, this test was applied in a NAPA Montevideo Healthcare Center. One hundred and thirty one interviews per undergraduate student were conducted throughout a period of one week, from Monday through Friday during the month of July 2015 RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS 1-19 people in a situation of moderate risk (14.5%), especially regarding alcohol, marijuana and cocaine, for whom a BI was done. 2- 4 people in a situation of high risk (3%), 1 to 3 for cocaine and alcohol, who were referred to a specialized drug addiction treatment team.