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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Not everyone gets screened equally for substance use. A large study of nearly 480,000 primary care patients found meaningful variation in who receives substance use screening — with patients needing interpreters and those with alcohol-related cognitive disorders being less likely to be screened. Provider workload and clinic-level factors also played a role, pointing to the need for system-wide quality improvements.
A new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine reveals that substance use screening in primary care isn't happening equally for all patients — and the gaps aren't random. Analyzing nearly 1.1 million visits from over 479,000 adult patients across a US health system between 2019 and 2022, researchers found notable variation in screening rates at the patient, provider, and clinic levels.
Patients who needed an interpreter or had alcohol-related cognitive disorders were significantly less likely to be screened — a concerning finding given these groups may have the highest need. On the flip side, patients with anxiety, depression, or cannabis use disorder were more likely to receive screening. At the provider level, higher monthly visit volumes were linked to lower screening rates, suggesting that busier clinicians may be less likely to complete this step.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: These findings highlight that substance use screening — despite being guideline-recommended — is inconsistently delivered, particularly for vulnerable populations. Health systems may need targeted, multi-level interventions to close these gaps and ensure equitable, guideline-concordant care.
