Computer-delivered screening and brief intervention (e-SBI) for postpartum drug use: a randomized trial.

Electronic screening and brief intervention (e-SBI) approaches for substance use have shown early promise. This trial was designed to replicate previous findings from a single 20-minute e-SBI for drug use among postpartum women. A total of 143 postpartum, primarily low-income African-American women meeting criteria for drug use, were randomly assigned to either a tailored e-SBI or a time-matched control condition. Blinded follow-up evaluation 3- and 6-months following childbirth revealed strong effects for confirmed illicit drug use abstinence at the 3-month observation (OR=3.3, p=.01), as did hair analysis at 6months (OR=4.8, p=.018). Additional primary outcomes suggested small to moderate effect sizes in favor of the e-SBI, but did not reach significance. This result replicates previous findings but fails to show durable effects. Assessment reactivity, e-SBI design, and possible extension of e-SBI via tailored messaging all merit careful consideration.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes