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Objective: To develop a methodology to implement practices of prevention against the use of alcohol and other drugs in the context of primary health care (PHC) that will contribute to the debate about policies and actions in Latin American countries., Methods: This intervention research project was carried out in a small/medium-sized Brazilian city. The development process was assessed through participant observation with the aim of adapting the methodology to local needs and identifying existing weaknesses and strengths with impact on implementation., Results: A model was developed with six stages: initial contact and planning, diagnosis and mapping, sensitization, training, follow-up, and communication of results to participants. The following weaknesses were identified: limitation of resources (human, financial, infrastructural), limitations in the coverage and comprehensiveness of the assistance network, poor participation from physicians, training based on medicalized care, insufficient participation of health care management, insufficient involvement and participation of civil society, and few opportunities for participation of the population in the planning and execution of public policies. Strengths included the participation of community health agents and nurses in applying, organizing, and planning initiatives, in addition to the organization of educative and preventive actions in schools and communities by health care teams, suggesting that it is possible to implement screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) initiatives in the context of PHC in Latin America., Conclusions: The methodology developed in this study can be useful for Latin American countries if local needs are taken into consideration. It should be noted, however, that results will only be observed in the mid- to long term, rather than strictly in the short term.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of implementing screening strategies associated with brief interventions for prevention of alcohol abuse, within primary healthcare., Methods: This evaluation study was conducted among 113 primary healthcare professionals and managers in three municipalities in the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil, in 2007. The health professionals participated in a training to perform screening associated with brief interventions for alcohol use prevention. Six months after this training, a follow-up evaluation was carried out. The qualitative assessment involved participant observation, interviews with managers before the training and during the follow-up, and focus groups with healthcare professionals during the follow-up. The content analysis technique was applied. The following instruments were used for the quantitative assessment: Objective Knowledge Questionnaire, Moralization Scale for Alcohol Use, Perception Model for Alcohol Use Questionnaire and Preventive Practices for Alcohol Use Questionnaire. The municipalities were compared before the training and during the follow-up, and longitudinal evaluations were performed in each municipality, using descriptive and inferential statistics., Results: Participation by the managers and integration among the health professionals regarding the practices of screening and brief intervention were associated with greater effectiveness of implementation. This occurred in one of the municipalities, in which there was a significant decrease in the degree to which alcohol use was moralized by the healthcare professionals, in comparison with the other municipalities. In the other municipalities, the effects of the implementation process for the project indicated that the frequency of performing preventive practices against alcohol use increased, along with the health professionals' knowledge, although not enough to indicate effective implementation., Conclusions: Effectiveness in implementing alcohol prevention strategies in primary healthcare services is associated with managers' engagement in the implementation process for these strategies.

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