Diagnosis of alcoholism with a self-administered alcoholism screening test. Results with 1,002 consecutive patients receiving general examinations

Since 1972, we have used the Self-Administered Alcoholism Screening Test (SAAST) in inpatient alcoholics and their spouses and in patients from a general medical population. The SAAST, a 35-item test with a yes/no format, was administered to 1,002 consecutive Mayo CLinic patients who generally were not acutely ill and were requesting an annual examination or a general reexamination for chronic but stable problems. Of the 1,002 patients, 5.4% gave responses to the SAAST that would indicate the presence of possible or probable alcoholism. The medical record review on a random selection of patients revealed a false-negative rate of 6.7%. We believe that the SAAST is an effective tool for the detection of alcoholism and that it can be used in the general medical setting.