SCREENING FOR ALCOHOLISM AMONG MEDICAL INPATIENTS - HOW IMPORTANT IS CORROBORATION OF PATIENT SELF-REPORT

Little is known about the utility of collateral reports in substantiat ing self-report for individuals assessed in nonalcoholism treatment co ntexts. This study examined the concordance of 581 pairs of medical pa tient and collateral responses to a commonly used alcohol screening in strument, the CAGE Questions, as well as to reports of the patient's d rinking consequences and alcohol consumption. Results demonstrated tha t patient/collateral concordance was marginal, but acceptable, on CAGE cut-off scores and, that similar to reports from alcoholism treatment settings, patients generally reported more drinking consequences than collaterals. Patient and collateral reports of the patient's alcohol consumption did not differ significantly. This pattern of patient and collateral reporting of alcohol consequences and consumption was found for both men and women, as well as for patients with a DSM-III-R diag nosis of alcohol dependence. The findings support the validity of pati ent self-report on alcoholism screening measures in medical settings. Furthermore, results demonstrated that the addition of collateral repo rts to information directly obtained from patients only modestly impro ved the identification of alcohol dependence. The overall findings ind icate that alcohol screening can be done effectively and efficiently i n medical settings.