[Perception on and registration of alcohol abuse and alcohol-related diseases at a university general hospital]

The high frequency of alcohol related problems highlights the importance of its approach. The association of both the alcohol-abuse and alcohol related diseases has been pointed in the literature and are often the main reason for hospitalization. Physicians use different tools to detect abusive drinkers, and one of them is the CAGE-test, validated by Mayfield et al. in 1974.

To study the association between the result of the CAGE-test and the perception and registration of alcohol abuse by the medical staff and the nurses in charge of inpatients of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, southern Brazil.

The design involved three phases. First, the application of the CAGE-test to the 385 eligible patients. Second, review of all 51 CAGE-positive patients' records as well the controlled evaluation of 51 randomized CAGE-negative patients, to seek alcoholic habits and alcohol-related diseases. Third, interview with the medical staff to find out their perception about these subjects.

We found 51 patients CAGE-positive (prevalence = 13%). When evaluated through the registration and through a standardized interview, medical staff and nurses were not aware of more than half of CAGE-positive patients. No significant differences were found between medical staff registration and perception; the prevalence of alcohol related diseases was the same for both: 26 and 27% (p = .861). The prevalence of alcohol related diseases was higher among CAGE-positive patients (p = .0003).

In spite of the high prevalence among our patients, alcohol abuse is not pursued by our health teams as it should be. As for the future, there is reason to envision a continuing alcoholism rapprochement.