Documentation of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drug Screening in Hospitalized Adolescents

To examine the frequency of documented screening for tobacco, alcohol, and drug use in hospitalized adolescents on the pediatric hospitalist service.

This was a retrospective chart review of adolescents aged 14 to 17 years hospitalized at a large urban academic children's hospital in the Northeast from 2013 to 2015. Only patients admitted directly to the hospitalist service and only the first admission (if multiple occurred) were included. Patients presenting for psychiatric illness, ingestions, or impaired neurologic functioning were excluded. Admission history and physical (H&P) notes were reviewed to identify documented screening for tobacco, alcohol, and drug use. χ² tests and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to compare screenings for each substance and assess for associations of patient and encounter characteristics.

A total of 443 charts met criteria for inclusion. The majority of adolescents were girls (n = 286; 64.6%), and mean age was 15.6 years (SD: 1.1). The H&P notes included notation of screening for tobacco use in 75.4% (95% CI: 71.1%-79.3%), alcohol use in 56.4% (95% CI: 51.7%-61.1%), and drug use in 37.9% (95% CI: 33.4%-42.6%) of charts. Girls were 1.4 times more likely to have of documented screening for alcohol use than boys. The admission diagnosis category was significantly associated with documentation of alcohol screening. Tobacco and drug screening frequency did not differ on the basis of sex, age, or diagnosis category.

Documentation of substance use screening was not universal in admission H&P notes. These discrepancies suggest a need for improvements in screening protocols and documentation methods.