SBIRT Videos

The following videos demonstrate aspects of SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment).  In most, health care practitioners practice the BNI (Brief Negotiated Interview) with patients who present with various health concerns related to their substance use.

These skills are based on motivational interviewing techniques, which recommends speaking respectfully with the patient and asking questions, instead of telling the patient what to do, to increase the patient’s motivation to change, and his/her autonomy to carry-out those changes.

YouTube videos can be played by clicking on them, or, you can download the video files by clicking the links beneath each video title.  To watch downloaded videos, we recommend using Final Media Player.

1) Anti-SBIRT (Doctor A)

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This case example demonstrates how ineffective a conversation with a patient can be when the health care provider judges the patient, tells him what to do, and loses his temper.

This increases the patient’s defensiveness and “resistance”, making him less likely to listen and trust the provider’s feedback. It might make the patient just as likely to repeat the harmful behaviors that required emergency care.

The interaction might have gone more smoothly, and the provider might have been more influential, if he had used SBIRT techniques.

2) Using SBIRT Effectively (Doctor B)

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This case example demonstrates an ideal SBIRT Brief Negotiated Interview between an emergency department (ED) doctor and a patient. The patient is in the ED for car accident injuries related to his own drunk driving. The doctor has a respectful, nonjudgmental conversation with him to explore the possibility of changing his alcohol use and/or seeking treatment.

3) SBIRT for drug use

Download SBIRT for drug use.

The patient is in the ED for an abscess connected to his drug use.  The doctor has a respectful, nonjudgmental conversation with him to explore the possibility of changing his drug use and/or seeking treatment.

This interaction scored well with the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity scoring code, MITI. You can view the MITI scoring sheet for this case and the interaction transcript with the scorer’s comments included, or you can view a version of the transcript without comments.

4) SBIRT for alcohol use: college student

Download: SBIRT for alcohol use: college student.

The patient is in the hospital for a head injury related to falling down while intoxicated.  The health care provider has a respectful, nonjudgmental conversation with her to explore the possibility of changing her drinking behavior (cutting back on quantity and frequency).

5) SBIRT for alcohol use: older man

Download SBIRT for alcohol use: older man.

The patient is in the hospital for an ankle he injured when he was intoxicated and fell down.  The doctor has a respectful, nonjudgmental conversation with him to explore the possibility of changing his drinking behavior (cutting back on quantity and frequency).

6) SBIRT for alcohol use: family

Download SBIRT for alcohol use: family.

In this case example, a health promotion advocate (HPA) uses aspects of SBIRT to help the client think about the effects of his alcohol use in a respectful, nonjudgmental atmosphere.  The HPA discusses the pros and cons with the client, explains the screening results, and offers options for treatment and other services to him and his family members.

To see segments of the SBIRT for alcohol/drug use: adolescents case, please visit our YouTube channel, or download them below:
1) Rapport
2) Pros & Cons
3) Feedback
4) Readiness Ruler
5) Action Plan
6) Thanks

7) Conversation with Mother of An Adolescent About HPV Vaccine