Detection of alcoholism among burn patients

To determine the prevalence of alcoholism among patients at a large inpatient burn center, a semistructured interview for diagnosing alcoholism--the CAGE questionnaire--was administered. Of 124 patients interviewed, 24 (19 percent) were found to have an alcohol problem based on responses to the CAGE questionnaire. However, when patients' charts were reviewed at discharge, only seven of the 24 subjects were described as having an alcohol-related problem. Of the 22 subjects whose alcoholism was detected by the CAGE questionnaire and for whom blood alcohol screens had been obtained on admission, only seven had a positive screen. About 70 percent of the patients with alcoholism were missed by blood alcohol screens on admission and by the usual procedures for gathering patient information on admission and during hospitalization. The study found that use of the CAGE questionnaire greatly increased the detection of alcoholism in burn patients.