Linking To And Embedding "The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)" With Links To Additional Resources

Today, I link to and embed The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) [Link is to the PDF]:

The AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) is a simple and effective method of screening for unhealthy alcohol use, defined as risky or hazardous consumption or any alcohol use disorder.

Based on the data from a multinational World Health Organization collaborative study, the AUDIT has become the world’s most widely used alcohol screening instrument since its publication in 1989. It is currently available in approximately 40 languages.

Importantly, the AUDIT provides a framework for intervention to help those with unhealthy alcohol use reduce or cease alcohol consumption and thereby avoid the harmful consequences of alcohol.

The AUDIT can also help identify alcohol dependence and specific consequences of harmful drinking. It is particularly designed for health care practitioners and a range of health settings, but with suitable instructions it can be self-administered or used by non-health professionals.

Here is a link to the AUDIT Decision Tree from auditscreen.org:

The AUDIT Decision Tree is a simple method of putting Screening, Brief intervention and Referral to treatment (SBIRT) into practice.

On the basis of the AUDIT score, the health practitioner provides feedback on the category of alcohol use in which the person fits. At this point an intervention is suggested.

For those with a score of 8-14 this would typically be a brief intervention (see the Drink-Less Program). For those with a score of 15+, options include referral for specialist treatment, detoxification, enrolment in a therapy program and pharmacotherapies (medication), and engagement with a self-help fellowship.

The AUDIT Decision Tree: from screening, scoring and assessment, to taking action

Here is a JPEG of The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT):

Here is the PDF link to AUDIT: The Alcohol Use Disorders
Identification Test; Guidelines for Use in Primary Care. 41 pp. Second Edition. Thomas F. Babor, John C. Higgins-Biddle, John B. Saunders, Maristela G. Monteiro. World Health Organization. Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence. 2001.

Here are some selected excerpts from the above resource.

Abstract

This manual introduces the AUDIT, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and describes how to use it to identify persons with hazardous and harmful patterns of alcohol consumption. The AUDIT was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a simple method of screening for excessive drinking and to assist in brief assessment. It can help in identifying excessive drinking as the cause of the presenting
illness. It also provides a framework for intervention to help hazardous and harmful drinkers reduce or cease alcohol consumption and thereby avoid the harmful consequences of their drinking. The first edition of this manual was published in 1989 (Document No. WHO/MNH/DAT/89.4) and was subsequently updated in 1992 (WHO/PSA/92.4). Since that time it has enjoyed widespread use by both health workers and alcohol researchers. With the growing use of alcohol screening and the international popularity of the AUDIT, there was a need to revise the manual to take into account advances in research and clinical experience.

This manual is written primarily for health care practitioners, but other professionals who encounter persons with alcohol-related problems may also find it useful. It is designed to be used in conjunction with a companion document that provides complementary information about early intervention procedures, entitled “Brief Intervention for Hazardous and Harmful Drinking: A Manual for Use in Primary Care”. Together these manuals describe a comprehensive approach to screening and brief intervention for alcohol-related problems in primary health care.

Table of Contents

4 Purpose of this Manual
5 Why Screen for Alcohol Use?
8 The Context of Alcohol Screening
10 Development and Validation of the AUDIT
14 Administration Guidelines
19 Scoring and Interpretation
21 How to Help Patients
25 Programme Implementation

Appendix

28 A. Research Guidelines for the AUDIT
30 B. Suggested Format for AUDIT Self-Report Questionnaire
32 C. Translation and Adaptation to Specific Languages,
Cultures and Standards
33 D. Clinical Screening Procedures
34 E. Training Materials for AUDIT

35 References

Here is the PDF link to BRIEF INTERVENTION For Hazardous and
Harmful Drinking: A Manual for Use in Primary Care. 53 pp. World Health Organization. Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence. 2001

Here are some selected excerpts from the above resource.

Abstract

Brief interventions have proven to be effective and have become increasingly valuable in the management of individuals with hazardous and harmful drinking, thereby filling the gap between primary prevention efforts and more intensive treatment for persons with serious alcohol use disorders. Brief interventions also provide a valuable framework to facilitate referral of severe cases of alcohol dependence to specialized treatment.

This manual is written to help primary care workers – physicians, nurses, community health workers, and
others – to deal with persons whose alcohol consumption has become hazardous or harmful to their health.
Its aim is to link scientific research to clinical practice by describing how to conduct brief interventions for
patients with alcohol use disorders and those at risk of developing them. The manual may also be useful
for social service providers, people in the criminal justice system, mental health workers, and anyone else
who may be called on to intervene with a person who has alcohol-related problems.

This manual is designed to be used in conjunction with a companion document that describes how to screen for alcohol-related problems in primary health care, entitled “The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: Guidelines for Use in Primary Care”. Together these manuals describe a comprehensive approach to alcohol screening and brief intervention in primary health care.

Table of Contents

4 Introduction
5 Concepts and Terms
7 Roles and Responsibilities of Primary Health Care
11 SBI: A Risk Management and
Case Finding Approach
14 Alcohol Education for Low-Risk Drinkers,
Abstainers and Others
17 Simple Advice for Risk Zone II Drinkers
23 Brief Counselling for Risk Zone III Drinkers
27 Referral for Risk Zone IV Drinkers with
Probable Alcohol Dependence

Appendix

30 A. Patient Education Brochure
32 A Guide to Low-Risk Drinking
38 B. Self-Help Booklet
47 C. Training Resources

49 References