The first two steps of implementation involve gaining buy-in from your organization’s leadership and developing a core decision-making group to support the organizational changes necessary to integrate SBIRT into your practice. Forming a team to lead the SBIRT implementation process is essential. It is important that each team represents the views of all roles within your organization (e.g., nurses, medical assistants, front desk staff), which requires a multidisciplinary group.

Each member of the team will have a unique perspective on the SBIRT process and your organization should be able to provide insight about processes based on their experiences.

To determine who should be on each SBIRT leadership team, consider the following questions:

1. Who needs to approve SBIRT before a team is formed?
2. Who has skills or knowledge that will benefit the team?
3. How will the team make decisions?
4. What is the timeframe for implementing SBIRT?
5. What are the responsibilities of each team member?

Click on the types of organizations below to learn more about SBIRT teams in a variety of settings.

Once a team is formed, it is important to develop a team roster with contact information and clearly defined roles for each participant. Setting regular meetings and having individuals responsible for agendas, action items, and follow-up is also helpful.