Alcohol screening tools Flashcards
AUDIT
AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), was developed by the WHO as a simple method of screening for excessive drinking. The test consists of 10 questions and attempts to cover the three domains of harmful use, hazardous use, and dependence.
10 item questionnaire
Takes about 2-3 minutes to complete
Has been shown to be superior to CAGE and biochemical markers for predicting alcohol problems
Minimum score = 0, maximum score = 40
A score of 8 or more in men, and 7 or more in women, indicates a strong likelihood of hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption
A score of 15 or more in men, and 13 or more in women, is likely to indicate alcohol dependence
AUDIT-C is an abbreviated form consisting of 3 questions
FAST
FAST (Fast Alcohol Screening Test), is a short and rapid test with just 4 questions that was developed to be used in a busy medical setting.
4 item questionnaire (see table below)
Minimum score = 0, maximum score = 16
The score for hazardous drinking is 3 or more
With relation to the first question 1 drink = 1/2 pint of beer or 1 glass of wine or 1 single spirits
If the answer to the first question is ‘never’ then the patient is not misusing alcohol
If the response to the first question is ‘Weekly’ or ‘Daily or almost daily’ then the patient is a hazardous, harmful or dependent drinker. Over 50% of people will be classified using just this one question
SASQ
SASQ (Single alcohol screening questionnaire), asks only one question, when was the last time you had more than x alcoholic drinks in one day? (Where x is 8 for men and 6 for women). An answer of within 3 months indicates harmful or hazardous drinking.
PAT
PAT (Paddington Alcohol Test), was developed for use in a busy A&E department to detect hazardous drinking
MAST
MAST (Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test) is useful for detecting dependent drinkers.
RAPS4
Rapid Alcohol Problem Screen 4 (RAPS4) Consists of four questions and has been found to be highly effective in detecting alcohol dependence. A “yes” answer to at least one of the four questions suggests that your drinking is harmful.
