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While pediatricians were aware more than 60 percent of the time, that their young patients had used alcohol or drugs, in most cases the doctors thought the problem was less severe than it actually was. This was reported by researchers from the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research at Children's Hospital, Boston and published in the current issue of Pediatrics.
Illicit drug use remains a health problem among America's youth. In 2003, 11.2 percent of 12 to 17 year olds used drugs, alcohol or tobacco in the prior month, according to a survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). An estimated 17.7 percent of youths in that age group used alcohol in the month prior to the survey and of all youths, 10.6 percent were binge drinkers and 2.6 percent were heavy drinkers. The study's authors noted that most pediatricians say that they screen almost all of their teenage patients. But how well are they screening?
The study involved 533 patients aged 14 to 18 years old seeking routine medical care and their 109 medical-care providers. Each physician was asked to complete a form describing their impression of each of their adolescent patient's substance abuse. After the visit, each patient filled out a screening form. The investigators compared the providers' clinical impressions with patients' actual diagnoses.
The study concluded that the clinical impressions of adolescents' alcohol/drug involvement underestimated substance-related pathology. When providers thought that use was present, there was a very high likelihood that a problem or disorder existed. The authors suggested that the use of structured screening devices would likely improve identification of adolescents with substance-related pathology in primary care settings and should be considered for use with all adolescent patients, rather than only those who are perceived to be at higher risk.
Substance Abuse Statistics from SAMHSA
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