4.8 Screen & Assessment / Assessment Tools

When we look at Addictions Case Management Assessment Screening Tools it is not simple.  There are many different kinds of Screening Tools that are used depending on the Agency, Hospital, Services, Mental Health, Residential, Outpatient, Addiction and who is doing the screening.

If someone has been hospitalized then there are protocols for the discharge process working with Case Managers/Doctors/professionals for the discharge of each individual, and will links them to appropriate addiction and addiction-related services and supports upon discharge in their community. Together, the client and the staff will work to create and implement a plan of care for enhancing stability and meeting the client’s most urgent addiction-related needs.

The Coordinated Care will also differ depending on which Province, Territory or city that the individual lives in or has access to.

Healthcare and allied health professionals — including family physicians, nurses, addiction specialists, psychologists and social workers — use alcohol screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) to help individuals manage their alcohol consumption. There are other screening tools and resources depending on the the Substance is used.

Screening and brief intervention tools

Alcohol and other drug screening tools are sometimes used to identify people with early drug problems, and to facilitate referral to treatment services.  When these tools are available it allows people to reflect on their pattern of alcohol or other drug consumption and are provided with clear information about how to moderate their risk, a significant number will make positive changes without the need for more intensive, extensive and expensive healthcare services.  Individuals can use self-administered screening tools to assess their own alcohol or other drug use.  For people working in various settings screening can be used as an opportunity to have a conversation with students, patients, clients or community members.

CCSMH – Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health

Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health also work with Substance Use with the Senior population.  They have an online resource for Prevention, Screening, Assessment and Treatment for Alcohol, Benzodiazepine Use Disorder, Cannabis Use Disorder and Opioid Use Disorder as these tend to be what presents the most for Seniors.

Canadian Public Mental Health Association

Canadian Public Mental Health Association offer Cannabis Screening tool for cannabis dependence and problematic use that may be of use for providers in their practice.

Screening tools include:

• CUDIT-R – The Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test – Revised [Opens in a new window]
• ASSIST – The ASSIST Project: Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test [Opens in a new window]
• Severity of Dependence Scale – The Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) [Opens in a new window]
• e-CHUG & e-TOKE – eCHECKUP TO GO [Opens in a new window]

For More Information:

• Alberta Health Services
• Health Care Ontario
• Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
• University of Victoria – Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research
• Canadian Public Health Association – Cannabis Screening
• Connex – Ontario

CAMH – Screening Tools

CAMH has many different Screening tools, that are applied to different communities.  Depending on the challenges or communities there are different screening tools that would be used. There are different Substance Use Disorders and depending on the Culture / C  (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 2022)

The Fundamentals of Case Management – Government of Canada

Case management is a goal-oriented approach that aims to help employees remain at work and facilitate a safe and timely return to work. It is best accomplished with a multidisciplinary team. (Secretariat, n.d.)

Case Management Services for Veterans – Government of Canada

Government of Canada has created Case Management Tools to be used specifically for Veterans (VAC).  They have evaluated and created a new screening tool to assist those who have experienced trauma.

During the period of the evaluation, VAC’s Case Management Support Services Directorate and VAC’s Research Division developed and piloted a new screening tool which would replace the Regina Risk Indicator Tool ((Section 4.1(a)) as well as the Regina Risk Indicator Tool – Reestablishment (Section 4.1(b)). The evaluation team participated in the assessment of this new tool and conducted a comparison analysis between the current risk tools and the new screening tool. Analysis available at the time of writing of this report is reflected in section 4.1(c) – Risk Comparison Analysis. (4.0 Case Management Tools – 2019-evaluation-case-management-services – Veterans Affairs Canada, n.d.)

Correctional Service Canada (CSC)

The CSC has a graduated case management approach with joint case discussions. The process begins at the work site and then, if employees have not returned to work after a 6-month absence, the case is reviewed regionally. Nationally, the Committee members meet on average 6 times per year, reviewing cases of correctional officers who are away for more than 1 year; they review about 100 cases annually. Its National Joint Return-to-Work Advisory Committee, which includes union partners, meets twice per year to discuss general return-to-work issues, trends, and associated issues. The CSC also has joint case discussions with union representatives.