Elsevier

Preventive Medicine

Volume 27, Issue 1, January 1998, Pages 101-110
Preventive Medicine

Regular Article
The Prevalence and Detection of Substance Use Disorders among Inpatients Ages 18 to 49: An Opportunity for Prevention,☆☆

https://doi.org/10.1006/pmed.1997.0250Get rights and content

Abstract

Background.Previous studies have found that substance use disorders are prevalent among inpatients of general medical hospitals. These studies were limited in the validity of their measures, their failure to distinguish between current and lifetime disorders, or their lack of attention to drugs other than alcohol.

Methods.The current study used validated diagnostic instruments to measure current and lifetime alcohol and other drug abuse and dependence among patients ages 18 through 49. Additionally, this study assessed the sensitivity and specificity of four substance abuse screening questions. Patients were recruited from the general medical, general surgery, and orthopedics services of a university hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. The sample included 363 patients, or 86.4% of those recruited.

Results.The current and lifetime prevalence rates of substance use disorders were 21.8 and 49.6%, respectively. The prevalence rates of current problems were 16.3%, alcohol only; 2.5%, other drugs only; and 3.0%, alcohol and other drugs. Males had nearly a 30% current prevalence of current substance use disorders. The CAGE Questions Adapted to Include Drugs exhibited 70.9% sensitivity and 75.7% specificity.

Conclusions.At one hospital, and perhaps at others, an alcohol and drug screening, assessment, and intervention program may have the potential to prevent future health and social problems.

References (36)

  • S Nielsen et al.

    Prevalence of alcohol problems among adult somatic in-patients of a Copenhagen hospital

    Alcohol Alcohol

    (1994)
  • K Seppa et al.

    Heavy drinking in hospital patients

    Addiction

    (1993)
  • N Dawson et al.

    The effect of patient gender on the prevalence and recognition of alcoholism on a general medicine inpatient service

    J Gen Intern Med

    (1992)
  • M Dongier et al.

    Screening for alcoholism in general hospitals

    Can J Psychiatry

    (1994)
  • S Juergens et al.

    Alcoholism in a coronary care unit population

    J Addict Dis

    (1993)
  • R Moore et al.

    Prevalence, detection, and treatment of alcoholism in hospitalized patients

    JAMA

    (1989)
  • RD Moore et al.

    Underdiagnosis of alcoholism by resident in an ambulatory medical practice

    J Med Educ

    (1986)
  • Cited by (0)

    This study was supported primarily by Grant G9219 from the American Academy of Family Physicians/Foundation. Support was also provided by Grant DA-07334 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and by the University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine.

    ☆☆

    M, F, FlemingK, L, Barry, editors

    2

    To whom reprint requests should be addressed at the Department of Family Medicine, 777 South Mills Street, Madison, WI 53715. Fax: (608) 263-5813. E-mail: [email protected].

    3

    Current address: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland.

    View full text