Press Release

Digg Newsvine del.icio.us Stumble It! Reddit Furl Yahoo Google

(Washington, D.C)—The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) announced their decision to highlight the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) procedures as an example of how accredited providers of continuing medical education (CME) can meet or exceed ACCME's new accreditation standards for CME.

Substance abuse is one of our Nation's significant public health challenges. Yet is goes largely unrecognized. One of the most promising ways to identify and treat substance abuse disorders is to screen for substance abuse in healthcare settings and to provide brief interventions when necessary.

"People who initiate substance use do not foresee compromised health, school, or work; accidents; violence; or addiction in their futures," said Dr. Bertha Madras, ONDCP Deputy Director for Demand Reduction. "Yet, drugs can change the brain, destroy lives, and undermine families. It is distressing that the vast majority of users with a diagnosable substance abuse or addiction problem go largely unrecognized by themselves or by health professionals. A simple screening, administered in medical settings, can identify at-risk populations, and a brief intervention can, in minutes, greatly reduce this public health burden: a powerful example of effective prevention."

"The addition of SBI to a physician's strategies for patient care is a very clear example of a performance-based educational and patient-care outcome that can be achieved by continuing medical education," said Dr. Murray Kopelow, ACCME's Chief Executive. "The ACCME has as part of its strategic plan to facilitate active dialogue in the continuing medical education community on quality and the future best practices for physician life-long learning. Collaboration with ONDCP is a way to achieve this goal and contribute to the quality of care delivered by physicians in the U.S."

Today there are over 20 million Americans who meet the medical definition of dependence or addiction to drugs and alcohol. Over 94 percent of those Americans are unaware that they need help and have not sought treatment or intervention from health care professionals. SBI creates an opportunity for early intervention, before an individual's alcohol and drug use progresses to dependence or addiction.

A Federal demonstration screening and intervention program, administrated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is actively engaged in identifying people who are at risk for substance abuse disorders and matching treatment needs with the appropriate level of care. The program is established in hospitals, primary care setting, colleges, and in one tribal council in 17 States.

As of January 2007, more than 460,000 patients have been screened as part of ONDCP's SBI demonstration project. Of these, 14.9 percent received a brief intervention; 2.6 percent received brief drug treatment; and 3.2 percent were referred to specialized drug treatment programs. A six month review of the program showed significant decline in substance use after the brief interventions.

There are 2,400 organizations and institutions accredited by the ACCME system and engaged in producing CME for physicians. The ACCME's mission is the identification, development, and promotion of standards for quality continuing medical education.