Automated screening for at-risk drinking in a primary care office using interactive voice response

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Medicine
• Behavioral Health
• Health Technology

Background:

• Alcohol misuse screening is recommended but underutilized in primary care.
• Automated screening tools can improve detection rates.
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR) offers a novel approach to automated health assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an IVR-based screening tool (IVR Screen) for alcohol misuse in primary care.
• To assess the use rate and acceptability of the IVR Screen among patients and providers.
• To determine the feasibility of integrating IVR screening into routine primary care visits.

Main Methods:

• 101 patients in a primary care clinic used the IVR Screen via telephone in the waiting room.
• Patients answered five questions about their health, with immediate results for review.
• Medical assistants collected patient and provider feedback on the IVR Screen.

Main Results:

• 96% of invited patients consented to participate.
• 26% of participants met criteria for alcohol misuse.
• Patient and provider feedback was positive, with suggestions for improvement.

Conclusions:

• IVR-based screening for at-risk drinking is feasible in primary care without disrupting patient-provider interaction.
• The identification rate of heavy drinkers was comparable to traditional written questionnaires.
• IVR screening offers customizable and targeted assessments, supporting behavioral health screening and clinical research.