Detection of alcohol problems in primary care outpatients under different conditions.
Outpatients from two primary care clinics in a county hospital were screened for alcohol problems under three conditions. The objective was to determine whether patients would report more drinking and alcohol-related problems if self-report information was gathered in a research setting and/or if patients knew that their doctors would not be informed about their self-reports. The data indicate that patients' self-reports of alcohol consumption or problems were not affected by their knowledge that doctors would know their responses, and that interviews conducted in medical settings did not corrupt self-report data.
Chan
A W
AW
Research Institute on Addictions, New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, Buffalo 14203-1016, USA.
Welte
J W
JW
Pristach
E A
EA
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D003219:Confidentiality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012931:Social Environment; D014342:Truth Disclosure