This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on ISI (1)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related article  • Similar articles in this journal

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

It was a pleasure to read the systematic review of brief alcohol screening instruments by Fiellin and colleagues.¹ Such studies are essential to improving screening methods in primary care settings.

Fiellin et al¹ report that an effective screening strategy for alcohol abuse and dependence should include a combination of CAGE (cut down, annoyed, guilt, eye-opener),^2-3 questions regarding quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption, and, when time permits, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).^4-6 Though these instruments are effective screening tools, they are not strategies, per se.

The availability of instruments does not assure their routine use. The CAGE has been available for clinical use for more than 25 years.^2-3 The World Health Organization developed and validated the AUDIT more than 10 years ago^4-6 and it was validated for use in a primary care sample in 1993.⁷ Despite the availability of brief and valid screening instruments for alcohol problems, their . . . [Full Text of this Article]

RELATED ARTICLE

Screening for Alcohol Problems in Primary Care: A Systematic Review
David A. Fiellin, M. Carrington Reid, and Patrick G. O'Connor
Arch Intern Med. 2000;160(13):1977-1989.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT