Assessment of Alcohol Use Patterns Among Spanish-Speaking Patients

ABSTRACT

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess drinking patterns of Spanish-speaking patients using a bilingual computerized alcohol screening and brief intervention (CASI) tablet computer equipped with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary university hospital emergency department (ED) between 2006 and 2010. Data from 1816 Spanish-speaking ED patients were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the chi-square test for independence, and the Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test for comparisons using quantitative variables. Results: Overall, 15% of Spanish-speaking patients were at-risk drinkers, and 5% had an AUDIT score consistent with alcohol dependency (≥20). A higher percentage of Spanish-speaking males than females were at-risk drinkers or likely dependent. Spanish-speaking males exhibited higher frequency of drinking days per week and higher number of drinks per day compared with females. Among older patients, nondrinking behavior increased and at-risk drinkers decreased. The majority of males and females were ready to change their behavior after the CASI intervention; 61% and 69%, respectively, scored 8–10. Conclusions: This study indicated that CASI was an effective tool for detecting at-risk and likely dependent drinking behavior in Spanish-speaking ED patients. The majority of patients were ready to change their drinking behavior. More alcohol screening and brief intervention tools should be tested and become readily accessible for Spanish-speaking patients.

Keywords:

• Alcohol use
• Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
• screening
• emergency department
• Spanish language

Acknowledgments

The project described was supported by grant UL1 RR031985 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. The authors would like to thank the members of the Emergency Medicine Research Associate Program, Dr. David Franklin, June Casey, and Christy Carroll for their help with this project. Computerized Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention was created by the Center for Trauma and Injury Prevention with the assistance of Diane Winn.