Alcohol

SCREENING PROCESS

• Screening in primary care is the initial step in identifying whether a patient screens positive or negative for alcohol abuse.
• Some of the more common alcohol-screening measures include pencil-and-paper questionnaires such as the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), CAGE (Cut-down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener), Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST), and Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen (RAPS).
• Screening measures vary in their ability to detect different patterns and levels of drinking and in the degree to which they apply to various populations and settings.
• The VA uses the AUDIT-C, a shortened version of the AUDIT, as its annual alcohol-screening measure.
• The AUDIT is relatively free of gender and cultural bias and has proven useful in various healthcare sites, such as medical and psychiatric inpatients units, emergency rooms, and the workplace ¹. The AUDIT-C is well-suited to busy primary care settings because it is comprised of 3 straightforward questions and takes less than a minute to complete.
• After screening, a comprehensive assessment is a necessary second step. The Behavioral Health Lab conducts such an assessment in order to fully explore the nature and extent of a person’s problems with alcohol.

Click here to see AUDIT-C

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