Journal of Alcoholism & Drug Dependence
Open Access
ISSN: 2329-6488
ISSN: 2329-6488
D Pignat
Switzerland
Research Article
Value of Visual Screening by Medical Doctors in Diagnosing Alcohol Abuse: A Prospective Study
Author(s): P Chevalley, J Gauthey, D Pignat, M Faouzi, V Darioli and D GennéP Chevalley, J Gauthey, D Pignat, M Faouzi, V Darioli and D Genné
Goal of the study: To determine the ability of physicians to identify persons suffering from alcohol abuse by a visual first-look evaluation and to assess the impact of the examiner’s clinical experience on the accurateness of the evaluation. Method: 28 Doctors working in two hospitals determine with a rapid visual contact if 157 in-patients suffer from alcohol abuse. Every patient was independently evaluated for alcohol abuse based upon the CAGE questionnaire and DSM-IV criteria, considered together as “gold standard”. Results: 1118 evaluations were performed. Alcohol abuse was diagnosed in 19.7%, using gold-standard. The specificity of a visual first-look evaluation was 90.55%, the positive predictive value 62.5% and the positive likelihood ratio 3.89. The sensitivity was 40%. There was no statistically significant difference in performance according to clinical ex.. View More»
DOI:
10.4172/2329-6488.1000219