NIAAA Study Confirms Real-World Reliability of a Key Tool for Alcohol Screening
11/05/2024
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Spectrum, Volume 16, Issue 3–Fall 2024, highlighted a study confirming the reliability of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Consumption (AUDIT-C). The AUDIT-C is a three-question tool used by health professionals to screen people for alcohol misuse. Previous clinical research had validated use of the AUDIT-C, but not its consistency over time in routine care conditions with adult primary care patients.
NIAAA-supported scientists conducted a study to examine the AUDIT-C’s reliability in real-world conditions. The team also evaluated the screening tool across demographic subgroups (defined by age, sex, race, and ethnicity) and options to complete the AUDIT-C online or in a clinic setting.
The research team reported that AUDIT-C screens completed in routine care and documented in electronic health records demonstrated excellent test–retest reliability (a measure of the consistency of a test’s results over time). Test–retest reliability evaluates the consistency of results from the same measure or screening tool by administering it at two different times. Test–retest reliability is high when there are similar results across separate test administrations.
Study authors showed that the AUDIT-C demonstrated good to excellent test–retest reliability across various demographic groups, as well as when screens were completed in the clinic or online through patient portals. The study found that reliability was somewhat higher when patients completed the AUDIT-C using online patient portals both times, as compared to completing the screen in-clinic or when mixing the two modes of screening.
The findings also indicated that reliability was slightly lower for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients and multiracial patients. Clinicians and researchers should keep this finding in mind when working with patients who are members of AI/AN or multiracial groups, and may consider seeking additional sources of information about these individuals’ alcohol consumption beyond the AUDIT-C.
The results of this study support the utility of the AUDIT-C for identifying alcohol misuse among patients in routine care settings. Learn more about the study at https://www.spectrum.niaaa.nih.gov/fall2024news.