The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) (93 mins)

You will be using this document extensively throughout this training. Review the 'Table of Contents' and read Sections 1 to 6 (pp. 1-8) to familiarize yourself with the background of the ASSIST and the rationale for its administration in primary care.

  • Read sections 6-8 (pp. 8 - 18) to learn about general and health-related problems of various substances.
  • Read sections 9 -12 (pp.19 - 31), which explain how to use the ASSIST. Perform the self-testing question in Chapter 11 (p. 23), and note your answers. Then review the answers in Appendix F (p. 55).
  • Read section 13, 'Scoring of the ASSIST questionnaire' (pp. 32-33).
  • Read section 14, 'Interpretation of ASSIST scores' (p. 34) and section 15, 'Linking ASSIST scores with treatment' (pp. 34-36).