Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)

The AUDIT can be administered verbally by an interviewer, or completed by the patient as a written, self-report questionnaire.^[1] A total score of ≥8 is recommended as an indicator of hazardous and harmful alcohol use, as well as possible alcohol dependence (a cut-off score of 10 provides greater specificity, but at the expense of sensitivity).^[1] Because the effects of alcohol vary with body weight and metabolism, for men and women aged over 65 years a score of ≥7 is recommended to increase sensitivity for detecting hazardous and harmful alcohol use.^[1]

AUDIT is a rapid screening tool (only 10 questions),^[1] with AUDIT-C (shortened form, 3 questions) providing an even quicker assessment.^[3]

References:
[1] Babor TF, Higgins-Biddle JC, Saunders JB, Monteiro MG. AUDIT: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Guidelines for Use in Primary Care. 2^nd edition. World Health Organization, 2001.

[2] Raistrick D, Heather N, Godfrey C. Review of the Effectiveness of Treatment for Alcohol Problems. National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA), 2006.

[3] Bush K, Kivlahan DR, McDonell MB, et al. The AUDIT alcohol consumption questions (AUDIT-C): an effective brief screening test for problem drinking. Arch Intern Med 1998; 158 (16): 1789–1795.