title: Medical assessment in drug addicts: reliability and validity of the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (Substance Abuse version).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To adapt the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for its use in substance abuse patients (CIRS-SA) and to assess the reliability, internal consistency, and validity of the instrument.
  
  
  METHODS
  One-hundred outpatients of both sexes, 62 men and 38 women, with a mean (SD) age of 32.4 (7.9) years (range 19-57), all of them fulfilling the DSM-IV criteria for any substance abuse disorder. Internal consistency was calculated with Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Test-retest and interrater reliability was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient and Wilcoxon z. Validity of the scale was assessed with Kendall's tau correlation coefficient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The final CIRS-SA version had a total of 13 items. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.57. All intraclass correlation coefficients were above 0.7, and some items showed exact coincidence. The stability of the CIRS-SA scale in a 1-month test re-test reassessment was demonstrated. The CIRS-SA score showed a significant correlation with all consultant scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CIRS-SA is a reliable and valid instrument to assess and to determine systematically the physical condition of substance abusers in whom infections, particularly by the HIV, are highly prevalent.
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Recerca Psiquiàtrica, Institut d'Atenció Psiquiàtrica: Salut Mental i Toxicomanies, Hospital del Mar, Passeig Marítim 25-29, ES-08003 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bulbena
authors.forename: Enric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Serras
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torrens
authors.forename: José Luís
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: López-Colomés
authors.forename: María-Alba
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Politinska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology