CARN Addiction Assessment & Diagnosis 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which screening tool uses the mnemonic CAGE to assess alcohol use disorder?
- AUDIT
- CAGE questionnaire (Correct answer)
- DAST-10
- MAST
Correct answer: CAGE questionnaire
The CAGE questionnaire uses four questions about Cutting down, Annoyance, Guilt, and Eye-opener to screen for alcohol problems.
Question 2: A patient scores 20 on the AUDIT-C. What does this indicate?
- Low-risk drinking
- Moderate alcohol use
- Hazardous or harmful alcohol use
- The score is outside the valid range (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The score is outside the valid range
The AUDIT-C maximum score is 12; a score of 20 is impossible, indicating a scoring or administration error.
Question 3: Which DSM-5 criterion for substance use disorder refers to spending a great deal of time obtaining, using, or recovering from the substance?
- Tolerance
- Withdrawal
- Time criterion (Correct answer)
- Craving
Correct answer: Time criterion
The time criterion (criterion 5) specifies that much time is spent in activities necessary to obtain, use, or recover from the substance.
Question 4: During a biopsychosocial assessment, a nurse asks about a patient's employment history, family roles, and legal problems. Which domain is being assessed?
- Biological
- Psychological
- Social (Correct answer)
- Spiritual
Correct answer: Social
Employment, family roles, and legal problems are components of the social domain in a biopsychosocial assessment.
Question 5: The DAST-10 is designed to screen for problems related to which substance category?
- Alcohol only
- Tobacco only
- Drug use other than alcohol (Correct answer)
- All substances including alcohol
Correct answer: Drug use other than alcohol
The DAST-10 (Drug Abuse Screening Test) specifically screens for problems related to drug use, excluding alcohol.
Question 6: A nurse observes pinpoint pupils, respiratory depression, and decreased level of consciousness. Which substance intoxication is most likely?
- Cocaine
- Methamphetamine
- Opioids (Correct answer)
- Cannabis
Correct answer: Opioids
The classic triad of miosis (pinpoint pupils), respiratory depression, and decreased consciousness is the hallmark of opioid intoxication.
Question 7: Which laboratory test is most useful for estimating average alcohol consumption over the past 2-3 weeks?
- Blood alcohol level (BAL)
- Liver function tests (LFTs)
- Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) (Correct answer)
- Complete blood count (CBC)
Correct answer: Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT)
CDT is a biomarker that reflects heavy alcohol use over the preceding 2-3 weeks and is useful for monitoring abstinence.
CARN Addiction Assessment & Diagnosis 2
Which screening tool uses the mnemonic CAGE to assess alcohol use disorder?