The Effectiveness of Electronic Screening and Brief Intervention for Alcohol-Related Maxillofacial Trauma: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objectives: This study aims to deliver a novel web-app-based electronic Screening and Brief Intervention to patients with alcohol-related facial trauma and assess changes in at-risk drinking behaviors and attitudes toward their drinking and alcohol-related trauma. Study design, setting, and sample: This was a 2-arm parallel randomized controlled trial. Participants who had sustained alcohol-related facial injuries were recruited from 3 Australian hospitals. Results: Fifty-six participants were enrolled and randomized initially with 45 participants completing the questionnaire at baseline and 3-month follow-up. Most of the participants were male (71.1%), aged between 18 and 29 (40%), and presented to the ED for the first time (68.9%). The study revealed that the intervention group participants found the information provided via the e-SBI helpful in changing their drinking habits and seek help. The e-SBI intervention had a moderate effect on ASSIST Scores (d = −.59; 95% CI, −.03, 1.18). The effect sizes of the e-SBI on the secondary outcomes also ranged between small and moderate. Conclusions: The novel app-based e-SBI can effectively deliver information on harmful drinking and provide brief intervention and other venues for help and subsequently improve awareness and willingness to seek help and reduce the risk of injury recurrence.