Does the short form of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) work at a trauma emergency department?

The accuracy of the consumption items of AUDIT (AUDIT-C) was analyzed, using the full AUDIT score as gold standard, in 120 traffic casualties (78% men and 22% women), median age 27 years (IQR = [22-34]), entering an urban emergency room between 2001 and 2003, with (67%) and without (33%) a positive blood alcohol level (> or =0.2 g/L). Sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, overall accuracy, and receiver operating characteristics of AUDIT-C were measured. Diagnostic accuracy was 0.79, using cutoff indices of > or =5 for males and > or =4 for females. AUDIT-C may be useful in emergency departments for a stepwise screening. Further validation of this test with larger samples and different settings is warranted.