Instrument Development for Assessing Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

Problem: The assessment of alcohol withdrawal symptoms (AWS) in the Addiction Treatment Program consists of assessing vital signs, patient self report of symptoms and nurse observation of symptoms using an ill-defined mild, moderate or severe scale. A more objective method of assessment is needed. Evidence: The Clinical Institute of Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol (CIWA-AR scale) (Sullivan et al., 1989) is considered the “gold standard ” for assessing alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The Severity Assessment Scale (SAS) (Phillips et al., 2006) has also been evaluated and both are used when benzodiazepine is the detoxification medication being used. This pilot study will attempt to develop a sensitive instrument that is objective in assessing alcohol withdrawal symptoms (AWS), when Phenobarbital as the detoxification medication is used. Strategy: The CIWA-AR and SAS will be compared to the current method being used. Practice Change: Nurse participants assessed a total 20 patients using the three methods of assessment for each patient. Comparing the results between the two established tools with the current method of assessment will provide the basis for deciding which method is th