BMJ  2006;332 (4 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7540.0-a

AUDIT to identify alcohol use disorders in primary care

A short questionnaire might be more effective than biochemical markers in identifying patients with alcohol use disorders in an opportunistic screening programme. In a comparative study by Coulton and colleagues (p 511), about 200 men attending primary care completed the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) questionnaire, and their blood samples were assessed for -glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and other markers. The questionnaire had higher sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value and was more cost efficient than biochemical markers.

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