Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment: a need for educational reform in nursing

With the prevalence of addiction-related health consequences, all nurses must maintain a basic level of knowledge and skills regarding addictions. Nurses are ideally positioned to screen, assess, refer; and, at the advanced practice level, treat clients for addiction disorders, provided the knowledge and willingness exists to intervene. A vision for nursing education is to achieve minimal competencies for all generalist nurses, facilitated by incorporation of substance-related disorder concepts into nursing education. An urgent need exists to disseminate the most recent knowledge and skills in nursing school curricula throughout the United States and internationally.