We gathered feedback and outcomes in three ways: written feedback forms, which are provided at the end of each session for facilitators and participants; participant completion of two SAMHSA screenings (AUDIT for alcohol use and DAST for drug use), at the beginning and end of their involvement in the education sessions; and in-person debriefing held for program leadership and group facilitators, once all sessions were completed.

These screenings and measurements help us establish a baseline for identifying issues, track and evaluate progress, and help foster conversations.

SAMHSA recommends the use of screening to identify clients who are experiencing issues related to their substance use and/or who are using substances at a level at a hazardous or harmful level. The AUDIT and DAST assess client’s self-reported information about substance use, both measures can easily be scored by any health care provider.

AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) "is a 10-item questionnaire that screens for hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption. Developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the test correctly classifies 95% of people into either alcoholics or non-alcoholics. The AUDIT is particularly suitable for use in primary care settings and has been used with a variety of populations and cultural groups," according to the Integrated Behavioral Health Toolkit, California.

DAST-10 (Drug Abuse Screen Test) "is a 10-item, yes/no self-report instrument that has been condensed from the 28-item DAST and should take less than eight minutes to complete. Designed to provide a brief instrument for clinical screening and treatment evaluation and can be used with adults and older youth,” according to the Integrated Behavioral Health Toolkit, California.

Links to info about Screening Tools (including AUDIT and DAST):
http://www.integration.samhsa.gov/clinical-practice/screening-tools
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64190/
http://uwaims.org/bhip/tools-symptommeasures.html
http://www.ibhp.org/uploads/file/ScreeningTool%20Mandy.pdf