What screening tools are recommended for identifying substance use disorders in primary care settings?

For identifying substance use disorders in primary care settings, specific screening tools are recommended for alcohol misuse, while the approach for drug misuse involves targeted questioning based on presenting symptoms ³,⁴.

• Alcohol Misuse: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is recommended as an identification tool for suspected alcohol misuse ¹,⁴. It also serves as a routine outcome measure ⁴.
• Drug Misuse: In primary care, staff should consider asking individuals about recent drug use if they present with symptoms that suggest the possibility of drug misuse ³. Examples of such symptoms include acute chest pain in a young person, acute psychosis, or mood and sleep disorders ³. Biological testing, such as urine or oral fluid samples, can be used as part of a comprehensive assessment of drug use, but it should not be the sole method of diagnosis and assessment ³.

While recent literature discusses empirically validated screening tools for adolescent substance use disorders ((Waligoske et al., 2022); (Levy et al., 2023)), the specific names of these tools are not detailed within the provided context.