Telehealth screening and brief counseling for teen alcohol and drug use
Official title: Virtual SBIRT for Pediatric Primary Care: Increasing Access to Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment for Alcohol and Other Drug Use via Telehealth
Funded at Kaiser Foundation Research Institute · NIH-11162328 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A telehealth program that provides quick screening, brief counseling, and referrals for teens in pediatric primary care who use alcohol or drugs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Kaiser Foundation Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Oakland, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 20, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $578,139 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA030701-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11162328 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Teens seen in participating pediatric primary care clinics who screen positive for or are at risk of alcohol or other drug use are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Teens needing intensive inpatient or specialty addiction treatment, or those without reliable phone or internet access, may not receive benefit from this telehealth approach.
What this research studies
This project offers a centralized telehealth program that provides brief screening, counseling, and referrals for teens' alcohol and drug use through participating pediatric clinics. When a teen screens positive or is at risk, they or their family can connect quickly by video or phone with a trained behavioral health provider who delivers a short intervention and helps arrange follow-up care if needed. Researchers will compare outcomes such as substance use, mental health symptoms, healthcare use, and costs to see if the virtual approach expands access efficiently. Participation typically involves remote visits and short follow-up assessments over time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could make it easier for teens to get quick screening and counseling for substance use by connecting them with specialists remotely, potentially reducing use and related harms.
How similar studies have gone: In-person SBIRT in pediatric settings has shown benefits for reducing teen substance use, while centralized telehealth delivery is newer and still being tested.
Where this research is happening
-
Kaiser Foundation Research Institute
Oakland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sterling, Stacy Ann — Kaiser Foundation Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Sterling, Stacy Ann
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.