Evaluating an instant assessment feedback tool on motivation to change among cannabis users referred to treatment.

Psychological assessment and personalised feedback are important components of brief interventions (BIs) for cannabis use. The diversity of assessment instruments and time burden associated with scoring them pose a challenge for effective implementation in clinical practice. An instant assessment and feedback (iAx) system was developed to administer bioSocial Cognitive Theory (bSCT) assessments that were instantly benchmarked against clinical norms to inform treatment planning. This study evaluated the additive effectiveness of the iAx system compared to treatment as usual in a single-session BI using a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT). Eighty-seven patients were randomly assigned to the single-session BI utilising the iAx system (iAx; n = 44) or the standard single-session BI (treatment-as-usual [TAU]; n = 43). Participants allocated to iAx experienced a greater increase in motivation to change from pre- to post-treatment in comparison to participants allocated to TAU. However, the addition of the iAx was not associated with greater patient satisfaction, which was high in both conditions. In conclusion, the addition of a new theory-driven iAx assessment system increased motivation to change cannabis use during a single-session BI delivered within a large public hospital system.