Assignment: Perform the Assist

Please perform the Assist on a patient in front of your mentor, calculate the score and provide the feedback score to the patients. Get feedback from your mentor on your performance of the ASSIT. Your mentor will fillout and evaluation sheet online.

 Your mentor will have selected a patient (or trained a simulated patient to do a role play with you) so that you can demonstrate that you are able to perform screening using the ASSIST, including calculating the scores, and giving the feedback with the responses card.

Your mentor will provide you with a printed version of the ASSIT and report cards, from Appendices A to D of the WHO ASSIST reference (http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241599382_eng.pdf).

You will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• · Hold the questionnaire so the client can’t see what you are writing, otherwise the client’s response may be influenced.
• · Every response for every drug and every question must be circled – including all zeros or negative responses, otherwise it may result in incorrect scoring.
• · Remember you may need to rephrase some questions for some clients.
• · You may need to provide prompts for some questions (e.g. Q4).
• · Build up a picture in your mind of the client’s substance use and potential problems related to their use as they answer each subsequent question (especially Q2 regarding frequency of use in the last 3 months). Clients’ answers to questions that don’t seem to be consistent with their frequency and pattern of drug use should be queried further to ensure that you have explained the question adequately and that client understands the question that is being asked of them.
• · Accurately score the ASSIST questionnaire.
• · Communication and answers to the patient are respectful and non-judgemental
• · The results on the report card are explained properly.
• · If the patient appears to need immediate medical attention, the trainees says so to the patient or it’s family if he is accompanied (appear in so much distress that it prompt you to ask about risk of suicide, harm to self, harm to other, and ask questions to see if the patient appears to be delirious, hallucinating or psychotic; if the patient is in extreme withdrawal, or intoxication, other reasons you feel the client should be seen by a clinician urgently).