Asynchronous Electronic Screening for Unhealthy Alcohol Use Among Veterans in Primary Care

Is use of asynchronous electronic screening (e-screening) associated with increased completion and detection rates of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification-Consumption (AUDIT-C) compared with usual staff-administered screening in primary care?In this randomized quality improvement trial including 2 primary care clinics with 848 scheduled telemedicine visits, use of e-screening was associated with increased completion rates of AUDIT-C screening by 30.5% and detection of unhealthy alcohol use by 7.9% compared with usual care.Results of this study suggest that asynchronous e-screening can support implementation gaps in alcohol screening in primary care, particularly for telemedicine services, improving both completion and detection of unhealthy alcohol use.

Corresponding Author: Ashok Reddy, MD, MSc, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, 1660 S Columbian Way, Seattle, WA 98108 (ashok.reddy@va.gov).

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