APPLAUD Action Series

A provincial initiative to improve quality of primary care for people living with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a common but significantly undertreated condition in Canada, with a gap between what is known to work and what is currently done in primary care practice.

By joining APPLAUD, primary care teams gain access to practical tools, evidence-informed resources and a community of peers and experts to improve AUD care and patient outcomes for individuals and families.

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Did You Know?

About a fifth of Canadians have had AUD in their lifetime, yet it is a significantly under-treated condition in communities across Canada.*

Less than 2% of eligible patients actually receive evidence-informed AUD pharmacotherapies.*

Recently released national clinical guidelines for high-risk drinking and AUD outline under-utilized approaches to AUD care proven to be more effective than traditional methods of treatment.*

APPLAUD Action Series Overview

Approaches and Pharmacotherapies for Patients Living with Alcohol Use Disorder (APPLAUD) is a CME accredited interactive action series focused on sharing knowledge, resources and tools to take tangible steps that improve the quality of primary care for patients living with AUD in BC.

Focus Areas

Participating primary care providers and their teams will focus on:

  • AUD Screening
  • Pharmacotherapies and Prescribing
  • Patient Engagement and Education
  • Referrals to Community Supports

Expectations of Participation

To fully engage in the program, participants are expected to:

  • Work with their primary care team to make improvements
  • Attend one readiness call between February – March
  • Attend five 2-hour synchronous virtual sessions between March – July
  • Participate in coaching or group check-in calls
  • Engage in testing changes in their clinical setting and submit monthly report template with data on key measures for improvement

Physicians will be eligible for up to 11.25 Mainpro+ Certified Assessment credits.

Funding Available to Participate

There is no cost to participate, and no quality improvement experience is necessary. Funding is available for participants who are not compensated through salary or contract to attend learning sessions, coaching/check in calls and completion of quick and simple data collection each month.

Delivered in Partnership

The action series is delivered by Health Quality BC in partnership with the Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder Society with funding from the Ministry of Health. APPLAUD is delivered in collaboration and support from health system partners including people with lived/living experience, clinical experts, the BC Centre on Substance Use.

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Team Highlights

Through APPLAUD, participants connected with colleagues and experts to help put evidence-informed and patient-centred approaches into practice to better screen, diagnose and treat people living with AUD. Watch this highlights video to hear about what teams worked on during the action series!

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APPLAUD Patient Care Pathway

Want to learn more about how you can improve the flow of alcohol use disorder care in your primary care setting? Check out the APPLAUD Change Package and Measurement Strategy! This resource features the APPLAUD Patient Care Pathway which includes how to use tools and scripts to guide conversations with patients about their alcohol consumption and care planning and more! This resource also includes a section on measurement that can help you track and learn from changes you implement in your practice.

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APPLAUD Actions Series
Frequently Asked Questions

Anyone who is interested in improving AUD care in primary care! Participants are highly encouraged to apply with their primary care teams. APPLAUD teams will ideally have 3-4 team members, and can be composed of physicians, medical office assistants, nurses and nurse practitioners, mental health/substance use service practitioners, and/or other allied health professionals.

There is no charge to participate in the APPLAUD Action Series.

Funding is available for a medical office assistant and practitioners who take time away from clinical care to participate in action series activities. Compensation is available based on current sessional rates for practitioners’ time (who are not being funded through salary or contract) to attend learning sessions and coaching calls. Time to engage in project work outside of official action series calls and sessions will not be compensated through HQBC.

Have a question that’s not answered here? Reach out to us at substanceuse@healthqualitybc.ca.

Stay tuned for updates about the APPLAUD Action Series!

This year’s offering of the APPLAUD Action Series completed in Summer 2025. To receive updates about future opportunities, please sign up for the MHSU Newsletter here or contact us at substanceuse@healthqualitybc.ca.