The CAGE questionnaire can be used to quickly screen patients for alcohol abuse. It can help identify those patients for whom a more in-depth assessment is warranted.
Items:
(1) C: cut down
(2) A: annoyed
(3) G: guilt
(4) E: eye-opener
NOTE: 3 of the 4 questions are shared with T-ACE (C,A,E). Questions are also shared with TWEAK and the 5-shot questionnaires.
total score =
= SUM(points for all 4 questions)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 4
• The higher the score, the greater the likelihood of abusing alcohol.
• Using a cutoff >=2 to define a positive test has a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 85%.
Limitations:
• Having an "eye opener" strikes me as being pretty specific for alcohol abuse, while the other 3 are not. Feeling bad or guilty might be a better measure of neurosis than actual alcohol misuse.
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