CONTEXT:

Although the CAGE questionnaire is one of the most widely used alcohol screening instruments, it has been criticized for not identifying people who are drinking heavily or who have alcohol related problems but do not as yet show symptoms of alcohol dependence. The AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test) questionnaire was developed by WHO as a screening instrument specifically designed to identify problem drinkers, as well as those who were already dependent on alcohol.

OBJECTIVE:

The aim of this study was to use the AUDIT and Fagerström questionnaires in a general hospital inpatient population to measure the frequency of problem drinking and nicotine dependence, and to see if levels varied between medical speciality.

DESIGN:

Retrospective cross-sectional study.

SETTING:

Federally funded public teaching hospital.

SAMPLE:

275 inpatients from both genders.

MAIN MEASUREMENTS:

Socio-demographic data, AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence.

RESULTS:

We interviewed 275 inpatients, 49 percent of whom were men and 51 percent women. Thirty-four patients were identified as "cases" by the Audit questionnaire; 22 percent of the male patients and 3 percent of the females. Just over 21 percent of inpatients were current smokers. The gastroenterology (26 percent) and general medicine (16 percent) inpatient units had the largest number of individual cases.

CONCLUSIONS:

Only by knowing the prevalence of alcohol abuse/dependence and nicotine dependence in a general hospital can we evaluate the need for a specialized liaison service to identify and treat these patients