Brief Intervention Within Primary Care for At-Risk Gambling: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Clinical Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Interventions for at-risk gambling are understudied.
• This pilot study explores preventing severe gambling problems.
• It adapts the brief intervention (BI) model from alcohol research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot a brief intervention (BI) for at-risk gambling in primary care.
• To assess the feasibility and identify challenges for future large-scale studies.
• To inform the development of gambling prevention strategies in primary care settings.

Main Methods:

• A 2-day training program for primary care personnel on screening and intervention.
• Screening of patients for problem gambling in a primary care setting.
• Offering a brief intervention (BI) to identified at-risk gamblers, with a 1-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• Out of 537 screened patients, 34 (6.3%) screened positive for problem gambling.
• 19 at-risk gamblers agreed to participate, with 6 completing the 1-month follow-up.
• Primary care is a viable setting, but low follow-up rates necessitate larger screening numbers.

Conclusions:

• Primary care is a suitable setting for identifying and intervening with at-risk gamblers.
• Effective staff training and clear, user-friendly questionnaires are crucial.
• The brief intervention (BI) model is most effective for patients already known to healthcare providers.