Prevalence and detection of alcohol use disorders among general hospital inpatients in eastern Taiwan.
OBJECTIVE
To examine (1) the prevalence of alcohol use disorders (AUD) and its various correlates, and (2) the detection rate of AUD by nonpsychiatric physicians and its related factors associated with increased chances of detection among inpatients in a general hospital in rural eastern Taiwan.


METHODS
A well-trained psychiatrist interviewed all adult patients admitted during a 1-month period using the Alcohol Inventory and reviewed all medical records for alcohol-related diagnoses.


RESULTS
A total of 303 inpatients aged 18 to 93 years were evaluated, of whom 78 (25.7%) were diagnosed by the psychiatrist as having AUD within the past year. Males, aborigines, middle-aged, current smokers and betel quid chewers had a significantly higher odds ratio for AUD. Nonpsychiatric physicians detected only 14.1% patients with recent AUD. Internists identified AUD nearly four times as often as surgeons. Better detection was associated with higher level of alcohol intake.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates the high prevalence of AUD among hospitalized patients in eastern Taiwan and the frequent failure of physicians to identify the disorder. These findings suggest that more effort should be directed toward increasing medical professionals' awareness of AUD in general hospital settings, especially among high-risk groups.
Wu
Shu-I
SI
Department of Psychiatry, Mackay Memorial Hospital, No 92, Section 2, Chung-shan North Road, Taipei 10449, Taiwan.
Liu
Shen-Ing
SI
Fang
Chun-Kai
CK
Hsu
Chien-Chi
CC
Sun
Yi-Wen
YW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001114:Areca; D044466:Asian People; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006780:Hospitals, Rural; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology