Detection of problem drinkers: the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).
This study was conducted to test the predictive validity of a new alcohol screening test, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), in a general medicine teaching clinic and to assess physician recognition and treatment of alcohol and drug disorders. The research procedures included completion of the AUDIT, a standardized diagnostic alcohol and drug assessment, an exit interview, and a chart review. The random sample comprised 132 recruited subjects. The internal reliability of the AUDIT was .77. The optimal cutoff score for the AUDIT in this sample was 5, with a sensitivity of .61 and specificity of .84. The exit interviews revealed that physicians asked their patients about alcohol use and drug use with 20% (n = 26) and 17% (n = 23) of the sample, respectively. Five of the 28 patients who met DSM-IIIR criteria had a diagnosis recorded in the chart.
Schmidt
A
A
Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Barry
K L
KL
Fleming
M F
MF
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires