Screening for alcohol use identifies whether patient’s drinking places them at risk for injury or health problems. Screening provides an opportunity to identify patients who might benefit from a more depth assessment and intervention for their drinking behaviors.

There are several recommended screening tools that can easily be delivered in any healthcare setting.

• Brief Screening Question
• AUDIT Screening Tool
• NIAAA Quantity & Frequency
•  ENA Screening Tool
• CRAFFT Screening Tool

We Need to Know Three Things About Our Patients:

Screen Positive or Negative: Does drinking create a risk for the patient or others? Patient’s whose drinking presents some risk to themselves or others should receive an intervention. Screening is an objective means to determine whether a patient requires such help.

Problems: Can we connect a patient’s drinking with something else considered a problem? The effectiveness of an intervention may be strengthened by connecting patients’ drinking with something he/she recognize to be a problem, such as an injury or condition that led to their hospital visit.

Likely Dependent: Is the patient likely alcohol-dependent? Knowing whether a patient is likely dependent on alcohol is important for guiding the patient in the right direction. For patients that are not likely dependent, a brief intervention will often be sufficient to help reduce drinking to safe levels.

Source: A Step by Step Implementation Guide for Trauma Centers, CDC