Module 4
Routine Alcohol Screening
Presenter: Marilyn Pierce-Bulger, MN, FNP, CNM Length: 24 minutes
Recommended guidelines for alcohol use among women are often lower than individuals may expect. According to CDC, only one in six patients discuss personal alcohol consumption with a healthcare provider. This webinar introduces the AUDIT (U.S.), a validated alcohol screening instrument used to effectively understand a patient’s alcohol use.
Access at www.npwh.org/courses/home/details/829. Registration may be necessary.
Learning objectives
Describe an evidence-based alcohol screening tool.
Describe recommended alcohol use guidelines for women.
Suggested supplemental readings
Finnell DS, Nowzari S, Reimann B, Fischer L, Pace E, Goplerud E. Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) as an integral part of nursing practice. Substance Abuse. 2014;35(2):114-118.
McKnight-Eily LR, Okoro CA, Mejia R, et al. Screening for excessive alcohol use and brief counseling of adults - 17 states and the District of Columbia, 2014. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2017;66(12):313-319.
Position statements
American College of Nurse-Midwives. Position statement: Screening and brief intervention to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancy. American College of Nurse-Midwives. 2017.
Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health. Prevention of alcohol-exposed pregnancies. Women's Healthcare. 2016;4(4).
Association of Women's Health Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Optimizing outcomes for women with substance use disorders in pregnancy and the postpartum period. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing. 2019;48(5):583-585.
Suggested handouts
US AUDIT with instructions & scoring
Selecting an alcohol screening instrument
Suggested activities or assignments
Peer-to-peer US AUDIT role play – 10 minutes to set up and complete
Find a partner. Choose one of the following character profiles. Consider how your character might answer the AUDIT screening questions.
Character profile # 1 drinks alcohol 4 times each week
Character profile # 2 has 3 standard drinks containing alcohol on a typical day when drinking
Character profile # 3 has 4 or more standard drinks containing alcohol on one occasion once a month
Decide which of you will be the client first and which will be the clinician.
Clinician: Your task is to administer the AUDIT with your client by reading through the 10 questions and determining scores based on the answers provided.
Client: Don’t tell your partner which character you are choosing. Your task is to respond to the AUDIT questions as your character might respond.
Take no more than 3 minutes and then switch roles and repeat the role play again taking no more than 3 minutes.
Take 3 minutes to process with each other how it felt to ask the questions and how it felt to answer the questions. Were you uncomfortable with any of the questions? How do you think actual clients might feel?