The effectiveness of digital training on screening, brief interventions, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for medical and health professionals: a systematic review.

Introduction: The effectiveness of digital SBIRT training for improving knowledge/competence and confidence for health promotion, behavioural and/or health outcomes is not established. We aimed to conduct a systematic review examining the effectiveness of digital training for medical and health professionals on screening, brief interventions, and referral to treatment (SBIRT), on knowledge of the health condition/behaviours, their treatments, and onwards referral to services, and/or changes in attitude, skills, or confidence to promote health.

Source of data: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Epistemonikos, Google Scholar, and SCOPUS. Forty-two articles with 8985 participants, published between January 2001 and April 2024, were included. There were eight randomized controlled trials. Only one study was conducted in the UK.

Areas of agreement: Digital SBIRT training may increase knowledge/competence, confidence, and self-efficacy for SBIRT delivery.Focus is primarily alcohol, tobacco, and substance use. Delivery is mostly web-based programmes, digital patient simulation, or blended learning with a face-to-face component.

Areas of controversy: Comparison between studies is hampered by heterogeneity in study design, target populations, intervention design and content, comparator/control groups, and outcomes assessed.

Growing points: Majority of studies were cohort educational web-based learning. Studies were mostly low quality (13/42 with low risk of bias). Outcomes were diverse and often poorly reported.

Areas timely for developing research: More high-quality research is needed, including assessment of practice, behavioural, and health outcomes. A standardized approach to assuring quality of delivery and testing is required. There is scope to develop, evaluate, and implement SBIRT interventions in a broader range of health promotion areas.