The AUDIT Alcohol Consumption Questions (AUDIT-C)<subtitle>An Effective Brief Screening Test for Problem Drinking</subtitle>

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the 3 alcohol consumption questions from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) as a brief screening test for heavy drinking and/or active alcohol abuse or dependence. Methods:Patients from 3 Veterans Affairs general medical clinics were mailed questionnaires. A random, weighted sample of Health History Questionnaire respondents, who had 5 or more drinks over the past year, were eligible for telephone interviews (N = 447). Heavy drinkers were oversampled 2:1. Patients were excluded if they could not be contacted by telephone, were too ill for interviews, or were female (n = 54). Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs) were used to compare mailed alcohol screening questionnaires (AUDIT-C and full AUDIT) with 3 comparison standards based on telephone interviews: (1) past year heavy drinking (Ͼ14 drinks/week or Ն5 drinks/ occasion); (2) active alcohol abuse or dependence according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised Third Edition, criteria;and (3) either.Results: Of 393 eligible patients, 243 (62%) completed AUDIT-C and interviews. For detecting heavy drinking, AUDIT-C had a higher AUROC than the full AUDIT (0.891 vs 0.881; P = .03). Although the full AUDIT performed better than AUDIT-C for detecting active alcohol abuse or dependence (0.811 vs 0.786; P<.001), the 2 questionnaires performed similarly for detecting heavy drinking and/or active abuse or dependence (0.880 vs 0.881).Conclusions: Three questions about alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C) appear to be a practical, valid primary care screening test for heavy drinking and/or active alcohol abuse or dependence.

Natural history of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A prospective follow‐up study with serial biopsies

“…recorded each patient's medical history, including pharmacologic treatments. Alcohol consumption was assessed through an oral interview and the AUDIT‐C questionnaire 25. Blood pressure, waist circumference, body weight, and height were measured.…”

Care delivery and outcomes among US veterans with hepatitis B: A national cohort study

“…(21) Alcohol use was ascertained using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) at any point during the follow-up period; a score of 5 or greater was considered to be significant alcohol use. (22) AUDIT-C was reported at any point during follow-up given the fact that it was infrequently assessed and was assumed…”

Factors Underlying Quality Problems with Alcohol Screening Prompted by a Clinical Reminder in Primary Care: A Multi-site Qualitative Study

“…11 Consistent with implementation of other clinical services, 12,13 the VA used a combination of a national performance measure and an electronic clinical reminder to implement alcohol screening. Specifically, the VA implemented a national performance measure incentivizing annual screening with the validated Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test -Consumption (AUDIT-C) questionnaire [14][15][16][17][18] and disseminated an associated clinical reminder ( Fig. 1), to be embedded in the electronic medical record.…”