This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Brief, 3-question screen identifies alcohol, cannabis use disorders in pediatric EDs
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
A screening tool for adolescents presenting to pediatric EDs can effectively identify those with alcohol and cannabis use disorders, according to research published in The Journal of Pediatrics. However, the screening tool was most effective in identifying those with cannabis use disorders.
James G. Linakis, PhD, MD, associate director of pediatric emergency medicine at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, told Infectious Diseases in Children that screening for alcohol and marijuana use is sporadic in pediatric EDs.
“Until very recently, the available screening instruments took longer to administer than the Newton screens, and there really haven’t been any good screens for marijuana,” he said. “In some pediatric EDs, these might just be administered to teens who, for example, were involved in a motor vehicle crash. But more and more, we're recognizing that in order to cut down on the number of teens who go on to develop substance use disorders, we need to try to identify them earlier. This means that, ideally, we’d screen all teens who come to the ED.”
The Newton screen, which includes three questions about alcohol or marijuana use in the past year, was administered to almost 5,000 teens who presented to 16 pediatric EDs.
The sensitivity of the screen for alcohol use disorder was 78.3%, and the researchers observed a specificity of 93%. The sensitivity and specificity were higher for screens related to cannabis use disorder (93.1% sensitivity and 93.5% specificity).
The predictive validity of the Newton screen 1, 2 and 3 years later demonstrated high specificity and low sensitivity for alcohol use disorders, whereas the test showed high specificity and moderate sensitivity for cannabis use disorders.
Linakis said that theoretically, the Newton screen should be quicker to administer than other screening methods. However, he is unsure of whether shorter screens will be adopted on among pediatric EDs.
“The good news is that for most teens, the Newton screen will be negative, and no more questions will need to be asked,” he said. “However, in a small percentage of teens, the screener will be positive. In those instances, additional questions will need to be asked to make a better determination of the teen’s risk level and need for intervention.” – by Katherine Bortz
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts