AUDIT : the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test : guidelines for use in primary health care

This manual introduces the AUDIT, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and describes how to use it to identify persons with hazardous and harmful patterns of alcohol consumption. It is distributed with "Brief intervention for hazardous and harmful drinking : a manual for use in primary care" in a folder entitled "Screening and brief intervention for alcohol problems in primary care"

The AUDIT was developed as a simple method of screening for excessive drinking and to assist in brief assessment. It can help identify excessive drinking as the cause of the presenting illness. It provides a framework for intervention to help risky drinkers reduce or cease alcohol consumption and thereby avoid the harmful consequences of their drinking. The AUDIT also helps to identify alcohol dependence and some specific consequences of harmful drinking.

Alongside with the companion publication on the AUDIT, WHO has also produced a manual to aid primary health care workers in administering brief interventions to persons whose alcohol consumption has become hazardous or harmful to their health. Together, these manuals describe a comprehensive approach to alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) that is designed to improve the health of the population and patient groups as well as individuals.