Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2025

Author Spotlight: Innovations in iTUG Test for Enhanced Risk Assessment and Cognitive Insights
Published on: October 25, 2024
Performance of the Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription Medication, and Other Substance Use (TAPS) Tool in Screening Older
Benjamin H Han1, Joseph J Palamar, Alison A Moore
1From the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (BHH, AAM); Department of Population Health, Section on Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY (JJP, JMN); Friends Research Institute, Baltimore, MD (RPS); Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC (L-TW); and National Institute on Drug Abuse, Rockville, MD (GS).
Objective:
This analysis evaluated the validation results of the Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription Medication, and Other Substance Use (TAPS) tool for older adults.
Methods:
We performed a subgroup analysis of older adults aged ≥65 (n = 184) from the TAPS tool validation study conducted in 5 primary care clinics. We compared the interviewer and self-administered versions of the TAPS tool at a cutoff of ≥1 for identifying problem use with a reference standard measure, the modified World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview.
Results:
The mean age was 70.6 ± 5.9 years, 52.7% were female, and 49.5% were non-Hispanic Black. For identifying problem use, the self-administered TAPS tool had sensitivity of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.75-0.98) and specificity of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.85-0.95) for tobacco; sensitivity of 0.68 (95% CI: 0.45-0.86) and specificity of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.82-0.93) for alcohol; and sensitivity 0.86 (95% CI: 0.42-1.00) and specificity 0.94 (95% CI: 0.90-0.97) for cannabis. The interviewer-administered TAPS tool had similar results. We were unable to evaluate its performance for identifying problem use of individual classes of drugs other than cannabis in this population due to small sample sizes.
Conclusions:
While the TAPS had excellent sensitivity and specificity for identifying tobacco use among older adults, the results for other substances lack precision, and we were unable to evaluate its performance for prescription medications and individual illicit drugs in this sample. This analysis underlines the critical need to adapt and validate screening tools for unhealthy substance use, specifically for older populations who have unique risks.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Drug Dependence
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Assessment of the Cardiovascular System I: Subjective Data
Initial Enquiry
Ask the patient about their primary concern and thoroughly explore all reported symptoms.
Medical History
Investigate past illnesses affecting the cardiovascular system, such as angina, anemia, rheumatic fever, congenital heart disease, stroke, thrombophlebitis, dysrhythmias, varicosities
Inquire about symptoms...
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV

