Screening for hazardous alcohol use in the Emergency Department; PEth marker compared to AUDIT questionnaire.

Almost 10% of the Dutch population drinks excessively. The range of possible harmful effects of hazardous alcohol use is widespread and associated with extensive impact on our healthcare system. The Emergency Department (ED) is a location for the early identification of problematic alcohol users. Up to 15% of all attendances in the ED is alcohol related. Identification of risky drinkers is important because this provides possibilities for future intervention/prevention strategies. Previous studies identified risky drinkers mostly by questionnaire such as the Alcohol Use and Identification Test (AUDIT), which are subject to the risk of response bias. Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a direct blood marker of chronic alcohol use/abuse and can be used to objectively identify risky drinkers. Literature shows the advantages of this PEth marker compared to the AUDIT questionnaire in different populations outside the ED. To this moment, no studies have investigated this marker within the general ED population.
The primary aim of the current study is to investigate the reliability of the AUDIT questionnaire when compared to the PEth marker value for the screening of hazardous alcohol use in the general ED population. Secondary aim is to investigate the correlation between the PEth marker value and the scores on the AUDIT, two-week period Timeline Followback including a 24-hour questionnaire, in the general ED population.

The current study aims to investigate the reliability of the AUDIT questionnaire in comparison to the PEth marker value in the general ED population. Thereby we would like to explore if there are advantages of using an objectified direct alcohol marker for screening for problematic alcohol use in the general ED population.

T1. During presentation at the Emergency Department

Not applicable