Medical and social problems related to alcohol use are frequently seen in t
he ED. Often, the tempo of emergency medicine practice seems to preclude as
sessment beyond that required by the acute complaint. However, detection of
ED patients with alcohol problems can occur using brief screening tools. T
his article was developed by members of the SAEM Substance Abuse Task Force
, and describes screening tools that have been used successfully to identif
y at-risk and dependent drinkers. Their brevity, reproducibility, and accur
acy vary somewhat, but screening can be realistically performed in the busy
ED setting. The early detection of patients with alcohol problems would pr
ovide the opportunity for early intervention, and may reduce subsequent mor
bidity and mortality in this patient population.