Paper Example on Alcohol Use Disorder: Identifying Risk with AUDIT & T-ACE

Introduction

The use of alcohol, to a certain extent, is considered harmful, and it may influence the recovery of a patient or slow the rate of recovery of a patient from certain medical conditions. To determine the level of use of alcohol by a patient, several tests may be used, such as the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test and T-ACE, among others. Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test is one of the tools that I used with a friend. This tool is abbreviated to (AUDIT) and was developed by the World Health Organization as a tool to identify people who are at the risk of developing alcohol problems (Soyka, 2015). This tool is most effective in identifying alcohol problems which have been experienced within the last year. This tool is considered accurate, and its effectiveness surpasses other tools. As I used this tool, I realized that it has ten multiple-choice questions that are supposed to be filled to determine whether one has an alcohol problem or not. To interpret the results, one is supposed to read the scores, and if the scores are eight and above, the person being tested is said to have an alcohol problem. As I used the tool, I asked the friend the questions which he answered. After analyzing the results, the score was nine, and I realized that he had an alcohol problem.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The second tool I used was the T-ACE Screening Tool, which I used with a pregnant mother. This tool consists of four questions that are supposed to test whether the alcohol intake of the pregnant mother has the potential of damaging the fetus or the embryo. In using T-ACE, the pregnant mother is supposed to answer four questions, and then the total score is taken. Each of the questions has two answers, with one answer carrying zero marks and the other one mark (Parker et al., 2008). The tool was easy to use as three out of the four questions required either a yes or no answer, or the pregnant mother was able to answer with ease.

Strengths, Weaknesses, and Challenges

Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test is better than many other tests as it gives accurate results. Besides, the test cannot be manipulated as the questions are already set, and the administrator does not have the liberty of changing them to skew the results. Despite these strengths, the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test has a few weaknesses. One of the weaknesses is that the test is time-consuming and may not be appropriate in a primary care office or clinic that is busy (Soyka, 2015). Besides, some patients may not give the correct answers due to the stigma that is associated with alcoholism in some places, and this may influence the validity of the results. One of the challenges of using this tool is that the questions are in English, and it would require one to translate them if they were to be used with a person who is not conversant with the English language. Although the test has been translated to a few other languages such as Spanish and Japanese, there is still a large population that is not conversant with those languages. Additionally, many people are not able to track their drinking patterns as the test anticipates.

T-ACE has its share of strengths, weaknesses, and challenges. The strength of this test is that it is brief and, therefore, can be easily applied. Additionally, it is developed in a way that is very easy to score. T-ACE is a brief tool to use, and this has made it possible to extend its use to other samples beyond pregnant women (Parker et al., 2008). One of the weaknesses of T-ACE is that the questions are too few to make a conclusive report about the patient’s level of alcohol use. Therefore, it may not be a sufficient tool unless applied alongside other tests. The major challenge observed when using T-ACE is that some women may not provide accurate drinking information, thus leading to biased results.

Suggestions to Improve

While the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test remains a very effective tool for the determination of alcohol problems, a few things can be done to improve its effectiveness and administration. One of the major improvements that can be done is that the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test be used in combination with other reliable tests such as a laboratory test such as alcohol biomarkers to ensure that the results obtained are credible and reliable.

The use of T-ACE can be improved if used alongside other tests. The use of T-ACE only poses the risk of having biased results since some women may give false negatives, which the primary caregiver may consider to be true when this is not the case. The use of the T-ACE tool may also be influenced by the mood of the patient, and this may influence the answers that they give. As such, for correct scoring, the primary caregiver needs to determine the right time to administer the test to increase the probability of getting correct answers from the patient, which are not influenced by their mood or other underlying medical and emotional conditions.

References

Parker, A., Marshall, E., Ball, D., & Babor. (2008). Diagnosis and management of alcohol use disorders. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 336(7642), 496-501. Retrieved July 2, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/20509117

Soyka, M. (2015). Alcohol use disorders in opioid maintenance therapy: Prevalence, clinical correlates and treatment. European Addiction Research, 21(2), 78-87. doi:10.2307/26790977