Question

Complete research on MAST (Michigan Alcohol Screening Test), AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test), and CAGE (Cutdown, Annoyed, Guilt, Eyeopener). All research information gathered needs to be evidenced-based, thus a references are needed. Information that is not evidence-based will not be accepted. Please use academic journals or any other database that has peer-reviewed materials.

Answer 1

1. Research on MAST:-

The Brief Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (bMAST) is a 10-item test derived from the 25-item Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST). It is widely used in the assessment of alcohol dependence.
The principal aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the bMAST as a measure of the severity of problem drinking. There were 6,594 patients (4,854 men, 1,740 women) who had been referred for alcohol-use disorders to a hospital alcohol and drug service who voluntarily participated in this study.
An exploratory factor analysis defined a two-factor solution, consisting of Perception of Current Drinking and Drinking Consequences factors. Structural equation modeling confirmed that the fit of a nine-item, two-factor model was superior to the original one-factor model. Concurrent validity was assessed through simultaneous administration of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and associations with alcohol consumption and clinically assessed features of alcohol dependence. The two-factor bMAST model showed moderate correlations with the AUDIT. The two-factor bMAST and AUDIT were similarly associated with quantity of alcohol consumption and clinically assessed dependence severity features. No differences were observed between the existing weighted scoring system and the proposed simple scoring system. In this study, both the existing bMAST total score and the two-factor model identified were as effective as the AUDIT in assessing problem drinking severity. There are additional advantages of employing the two-factor bMAST in the assessment and treatment planning of patients seeking treatment for alcohol-use disorders.

2. Research on AUDIT:-

Background-

It is important to screen for alcohol consumption and drinking customs in a standardized manner. The aim of this study was 1) to investigate whether the AUDIT score is useful for predicting hazardous drinking using optimal cutoff scores and 2) to use multivariate analysis to evaluate whether the AUDIT score was more useful than pre-existing laboratory tests for predicting hazardous drinking.

Methods-

A cross-sectional study using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was conducted in 334 outpatients who consulted our internal medicine department. The patients completed self-reported questionnaires and underwent a diagnostic interview, physical examination, and laboratory testing.

Results-

Forty (23 %) male patients reported daily alcohol consumption ≥ 40 g, and 16 (10 %) female patients reported consumption ≥ 20 g. The optimal cutoff values of hazardous drinking were calculated using a 10-fold cross validation, resulting in an optimal AUDIT score cutoff of 8.2, with a sensitivity of 95.5 %, specificity of 87.0 %, false positive rate of 13.0 %, false negative rate of 4.5 %, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.97. Multivariate analysis revealed that the most popular short version of the AUDIT consisting solely of its three consumption items (AUDIT-C) and patient sex were significantly associated with hazardous drinking. The aspartate transaminase (AST)/alanine transaminase (ALT) ratio and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) were weakly significant.

Conclusions-

This study showed that the AUDIT score and particularly the AUDIT-C score were more useful than the AST/ALT ratio and MCV for predicting hazardous drinking.

3. Research on CAGE :-

Abstract-

Four clinical interview questions, the CAGE questions, have proved useful in helping to make a diagnosis of alcoholism. The questions focus on Cutting down, Annoyance by criticism, Guilty feeling, and Eye-openers. The acronym “CAGE” helps the physician to recall the questions.

The 4 simple questions are “Have you ever:

(1) felt the need to cut down your drinking;

(2) felt annoyed by criticism of your drinking;

(3) had guilty feelings about drinking; and

(4) taken a morning eye opener?

The simple mnemonic CAGE makes the 4 questions easy for a busy clinician to remember. However, in one study, about half of physicians polled said that they have heard of the CAGE questionnaire, but just 14% could recall all 4 questions.

Only a small proportion of physicians integrate evaluation for alcoholism and other addictions into their standard work-up. Of the 30% of primary care physicians who report that they regularly screen for substance abuse, 55% use the CAGE questionnaire.3 The CAGE questions are so simple and easy to administer that they can be used in almost any clinical setting to identify patients who will require more extensive testing and possible treatment, making the CAGE questionnaire one of the most efficient and effective screening tools. A score of 2 to 3 indicates a high index of suspicion and a score of 4 is virtually diagnostic for alcoholism.

The CAGE questionnaire is designed to be a screening instrument rather than a diagnostic instrument. It does not provide information about quantity, frequency, or pattern of drinking. It originated during an era when the official diagnosis of alcoholism was less precise than it became with the publication of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised (DSM-III-R) in 1987.5 Other instruments have been developed subsequently such as the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, which consists of 24 questions that inquire about drinking behavior or adverse consequences of alcohol drinking.6 Another is the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, which was designed to be sensitive to signs of hazardous and harmful drinking as well as alcohol.