Screening for Alcohol Problems: An Epidemiological Perspective and Implications for Primary CareMo Med. 2008; 105(1): 67–71.
Excessive drinking and alcohol dependence are common and costly public health problems. Anecdotal and systematic evidence suggests that such problems are under-detected in the primary care setting, and that the latest generation of pharmacological treatments is under-utilized.
Several screening instruments are available for the detection of alcohol problems; we discuss epidemiological data gathered using one such instrument, the Patient Health Questionnaire alcohol abuse module.
In a random sample of 917 adults from the general population greater St. Louis, 19.6% of respondents screened positive for “probable alcohol abuse or dependence”.
While this is likely to be too high for an estimate of serious cases of alcoholism, evidence suggests that those who screen positive are much more likely to drink heavily on a regular basis, and to score low on a measure of mental-health related quality of life than those who do not screen positive. Hence, screening positive is indicative of unhealthy drinking patterns.
The regular use of such instruments in primary care settings could facilitate patient-physician communication regarding alcohol problems, thereby improving detection and leading to greater utilization of appropriate medical treatment, including pharmacotherapy.
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Excessive drinking and alcohol dependence are common and costly public health problems. Anecdotal and systematic evidence suggests that such problems are under-detected in the primary care setting, and that the latest generation of pharmacological treatments is under-utilized.
Several screening instruments are available for the detection of alcohol problems; we discuss epidemiological data gathered using one such instrument, the Patient Health Questionnaire alcohol abuse module.
In a random sample of 917 adults from the general population greater St. Louis, 19.6% of respondents screened positive for “probable alcohol abuse or dependence”.
While this is likely to be too high for an estimate of serious cases of alcoholism, evidence suggests that those who screen positive are much more likely to drink heavily on a regular basis, and to score low on a measure of mental-health related quality of life than those who do not screen positive. Hence, screening positive is indicative of unhealthy drinking patterns.
The regular use of such instruments in primary care settings could facilitate patient-physician communication regarding alcohol problems, thereby improving detection and leading to greater utilization of appropriate medical treatment, including pharmacotherapy.
Read Full Text (PDF)
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