RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Many alcohol-related problems often go undetected and untreated. In Singapore, no epidemiological studies have been done in general hospitals on alcohol use disorders (AUD), i.e. alcohol dependence and abuse (DSM-IV-TR). Such ï¬ndings are useful in planning AUD liaison services. In this study, we aim to estimate the prevalence of AUD among non-psychiatric inpatients and to determine the rates of identiï¬cation and intervention rendered by medical staff. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Non-psychiatric medical and surgical wards inpatients aged 21 years and above were recruited over a 3-month period. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identiï¬cation Test (AUDIT) was used to screen for AUD and the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI English Version 5.0.0) was administered to diagnose AUD if the AUDIT score was 8 or above. Case notes were independently reviewed for AUD identiï¬cation and if interventions were offered during admissions. RESULTS: A total of 5599 inpatients were screened, of which 673 (12%) completed the screening using the AUDIT, and of these, 154 (2.8% of total sample) were positive for AUDIT. In this group, 107 were diagnosed with AUD. The estimated prevalence was 1.9% (approximately 400 cases per year per hospital). The medical staff identiï¬ed only 25 (23.4%) cases of AUD, out of which, majority of them (76%) were rendered interventions. CONCLUSION: The rate of AUD identiï¬cation by medical staff was low. Of those identiï¬ed, majority were given interventions. Thus, the training of health care staff to identify AUD together with the implementation of brief interventions should be considered.