The Effectiveness of SBIRT Training for Online RN to BSN Nursing Students

Background: Substance abuse is a significant problem in the United States. More than half of Americans ages 12 and older are current drinkers of alcohol; Over a quarter report current use of a tobacco product and 10.2% report use of illicit drugs. Substance abuse is a significant threat to the health of our American citizens as statistics reveal it as a major cause of preventable deaths. Addressing the substance abuse crisis merits attention and skills training for our healthcare professionals. Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based simple screening tool that nurses can use to identify those at risk for substance abuse and provide brief intervention and referral to treatment. Purpose: This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of an online SBIRT training in RN to BSN nursing students by assessing the change in knowledge, readiness to perform, attitudes, and confidence related to the use of SBIRT in practice. Method: An interventional comparative method was used. The participants were asked to complete a pre and post intervention survey following a SBIRT training. The survey research design was used for gathering information from RN to BSN nursing students (n = 162) from a large private online university in the U.S. Participants were ages 18 and above, and mainly ages 45-54 (35%). Findings: The majority of the RN-BSN student nurse participants were between 45-54 years old (34.6%); 74.4%, worked in acute settings, 11 % identified as African American and 75% identified as White. A t-test was conducted, and results showed a statistically significant improvement in knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and readiness to perform SBIRT. Conclusion: This study supports the growing evidence that online SBIRT delivery is a viable tool for increasing student nurses’ knowledge, confidence in performing SBIRT, and changing students’ attitudes toward patients with substance use disorder (SUD). Nursing students who understand substance use disorder’s etiology, treatment, and rehabilitation, may treat patients with SUD, just like they treat patients with chronic diseases. Their positive attitudes toward these patients may influence their degrees of encouragement and support, which are essential to treatment and recovery. Nursing students who are confident in performing SBIRT will most likely use this tool in their routine patient care if their practice environment supports it. This study shows the utility of online SBIRT education as a tool to empower nurses to help decrease substance use disorder in the population(s) they serve.