Performance of Screening Instruments for Alcohol Use Disorders in Emergency Department Patients in Argentina

CREMONTE, M. Y CHERPITEL, CH.

Maastricht, Holanda.

Conferencia; Annual Meeting of the Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research in Alcohol; 2006

Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research in Alcohol

ABSTRACT: The performance of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), CAGE, Brief Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (Brief MAST), Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen (RAPS), Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen-Quantity and Frequency (RAPS4-QF) and TWEAK was evaluated against a diagnosis of alcohol dependence and harmful drinking or  alcohol abuse from ICD-10 and DSM-IV criteria. Data was collected from a probability sample of 779 patients admitted to the Emergency Department of a public general hospital in Mar del Plata, Argentina, during the year 2001. The majority of the patients sampled was male. The age range was 18 to 89 years, with a mean value of 36 years and a median of 31 years.  Almost half of the sample had an elementary school education or less. All instruments were more sensitive for alcohol dependence than for harmful drinking or abuse, and for men than for women. Findings suggest the RAPS4 and RAPS4-QF may be preferred when screening for alcohol use disorders in the Emergency Department in Argentina. The study’s  limitations were noted.