News

Alcohol and other drug (AOD) services in Australia currently meet less than half of the treatment demand. Even when individuals with AOD use problems access these services, the majority attend only one or two sessions.

Despite strong evidence for the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of brief interventions – comprising AOD screening, feedback and motivational enhancement – these approaches have yet to be widely implemented in AOD services during these critical initial sessions.

Professor Leanne Hides, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research (NCYSUR), has secured a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnership Project to determine whether implementing a co-designed brief intervention at the front end of AOD services can increase treatment access and improve client and service outcomes.

The project brings together a multidisciplinary team of researchers, clinicians, and industry partners, including Lives Lived Well, the Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs Agencies (NADA), the Queensland Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs Agencies (QNADA), the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) and the University of Wollongong. This collaboration aims to shape future AOD practice and policy, improving outcomes for both clients and AOD service providers across Australia.

Find out more about the NHMRC Partnership Projects scheme here.