Alcohol use: risk assessment for people with a long-term condition

Indicator

IND201: The percentage of patients with one or more of the following conditions: CHD, atrial fibrillation, chronic heart failure, stroke or TIA, diabetes or dementia who have been screened for hazardous drinking using the FAST or AUDIT-C tool in the preceding 2 years.

Introduction

Alcohol is a cause of significant public health burden, but use is widespread amongst most groups of society. Alcohol is the leading cause of ill-health, early mortality and disability in those aged 15 to 49 years of age (NHS Digital Statistics on alcohol). Harmful drinking is associated with multiple physical and mental health problems. Tools such as AUDIT-C and FAST can help to identify at risk drinkers who may not be alcohol dependent but drink too much.

This indicator intends to identify those people with described morbidities who are at risk of hazardous alcohol consumption. This will help to better manage their conditions.

Resource impact

The resource impact of the proposed indicator is unlikely to be significant. Expert opinion is that it is easy to implement use of the FAST or AUDIT-C tools and that their use can be included in existing consultations.

Long term savings may be achieved by better managing people’s conditions and avoiding interventions.