THE FEASIBILITY OF A NEW INTAKE ROUTINE TO ASSESS SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS BY MEANS OF A STRUCTURED INTERVIEW

A structured interview, ADDIS (Alkohol Drog Diagnos InStrument), desig ned to assess substance use disorders, was included as a part of the i ntake protocol in a department of orthopedics at a general hospital. T o evaluate both the effectiveness and feasibility of the new procedure , the attitudes of 29 staff members were sampled during follow-up inte rviews. In addition, a questionnaire was sent to 254 patients to exami ne their opinions about the interview The staff made a global evaluati on of the new routine on a 10-point scale, ranging from completely neg ative (1) to completely positive (10). The mean rating was 8.2 (range 5-10). The evaluations made by the staff members in the interviews wer e very positive. Of the 254 patients, 177 (70%) returned the questionn aire. More than 90% of the patients appreciated bring asked about thei r use of analgesics and sedatives, and 77% felt it was positive to be asked about their alcohol use. The result of the patient questionnaire supports the feasibility of the routine, suggesting that a structured interview can be included in the intake protocol in order to improve the assessment of substance use disorders. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science I nc.