Two brief questions can effectively screen for 80 percent of alcohol and drug use problems in clients aged 18 to 59 years.
In a recent study, Brown et al. (2001) demonstrated that at least one positive response to a two item conjoint screen (TICS) can detect current substance use disorders with nearly 80% accuracy.
The two questions are:
Benefits of the TICS: Can be integrated into a health care assessment; provides an initial brief, inexpensive and nonintrusive screen for abuse; could facilitate further assessment and/or brief interventions.
Brown, R. L., Leonard, T., Saunders, L. A., & Papasouliotis, O. (2001) A two-item conjoint screen for alcohol and other drug problems. Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, 14(2): 95-106.