Adult patients who seek help in hospital emergency rooms are "more likely to smoke, drink, use illicit substances, and misuse prescription drugs than are members of the general population," according to an overview of a study by Steven Bernstein, M.D., professor of emergency medicine at Yale School of Medicine, and Dr. Gail D'Onofrio, professor and chair of emergency medicine at Yale School of Medicine. Their research appears in Health Affairs.
A growing body of evidence suggests that screening, providing a brief intervention, and referring these patients to treatment (a protocol known as SBIRT) can be an effective way to help them. SBIRT can reduce these harmful habits among ED patients, the authors write, having already proven effective in helping people quit smoking and reduce alcohol and marijuana use.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-12-five-minute-intervention-patients-substance-behavioral.html
Here's a link to the abstract: http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/32/12/2122
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