AUDIT-C questions and scoring
The AUDIT-C uses three alcohol-consumption questions from the World Health Organization's Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Answers score 0 to 4 each, producing a total from 0 to 12.
The validation study found a positive screen at 4 or more for men and 3 or more for women. The VA and Department of Defense use 5 or more. Your practice builds the scale from owner wording and confirms its terms.
Last updated
- Items 3
- Score range 0 to 12
- Validation cut points Men 4+; women 3+
- VA and DoD 5 or more
- Licence Public-domain AUDIT
What is the AUDIT-C and who developed it?
The AUDIT-C consists of the three consumption questions in the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, known as the AUDIT. The AUDIT is a World Health Organization publication, and the shorter screen focuses on drinking behavior.
Each AUDIT-C answer receives 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 points. The three values add to a total from 0 through 12. Answer choices differ between questions, so an online form must assign each question its own choices and weights.
The VA's AUDIT-C guidance supplies one version for practice review. Its third question uses a different drink count for men than for women and for everyone aged 65 and older. The practice should preserve the wording of the version its clinical lead approves.
What do the three AUDIT-C items cover?
The three AUDIT-C items cover drinking frequency, typical quantity and heavy-drinking occasions. Each has its own choices and point assignments.
- Frequency of alcohol consumption.
- Usual quantity consumed on drinking days.
- Frequency of heavy-drinking occasions.
- Each question has five answer choices worth 0 through 4 points, with different choices from one question to the next.
- In the VA version, the third question's drink count varies for men, women and everyone aged 65 and older.
How is the AUDIT-C scored?
AUDIT-C scoring adds three item values from 0 to 4 for a total from 0 to 12. The positive-screen rules below come from different sources and should remain attributed to those sources when staff configure the form.
| Source | Positive-screen rule |
|---|---|
| Validation study | 4 or more for men |
| Validation study | 3 or more for women |
| VA and Department of Defense | 5 or more |
A score is a screening result and not a diagnosis. The practice's clinical lead decides which cut point the practice uses and what staff do with a result. The VA says a positive screen is never the sole basis for a diagnosis.
Who owns the AUDIT-C and what does its licence say?
The AUDIT is in the public domain as a WHO-approved instrument. The AUDIT site asks users not to change it materially, and the practice should confirm those current terms before building an online AUDIT-C.
Read the AUDIT FAQ for the public-domain statement and the request against material changes. The practice manager should obtain current wording and keep the questions intact in the approved form.
Public-domain status does not select a cut point for the practice. The clinical lead decides between the cited screening rules and establishes what staff do after submission, with the sources kept visible in the practice's review materials.
How do you build the AUDIT-C in Intake Pro?
Build the AUDIT-C from current approved wording using separate choice fields because its answer options differ. Configure every answer's points, test both cited cut-point approaches with the clinical lead and publish the reviewed version.
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Obtain wording and confirm terms
Get the current scale from the approved source. Confirm the AUDIT's public-domain terms and the site's request against material changes for your planned use.
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Add three choice fields
Use separate choice fields in the form builder, since a matrix assumes shared answer choices and these three questions have different options.
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Weight every answer
Configure 0 through 4 points for each choice with scored assessments, then set the total and the labelled screening rule chosen by the clinical lead.
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Handle the approved third-question version
If using the VA version, preserve its different third-question drink counts for men, women and everyone 65 and older. Use conditional display only as needed for that approved wording.
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Review and test
Have the clinical lead confirm scoring and staff actions. Enter known answers, check the total by hand and test the boundaries at 3, 4 and 5.
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Publish the form
Publish after wording, choice weights and review assignments pass testing. Later edits create a new version and leave earlier signed records unchanged.
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Send by packet, link or kiosk
Place the scale in an intake packet, send its private link by text or email, or offer the form at the practice's kiosk.
When does a practice send the AUDIT-C and who reviews it?
The clinical lead decides when the AUDIT-C belongs in intake and who reviews its result. Front-desk staff send the practice-built form before a visit or offer it at check-in under that approved workflow.
Intake Pro calculates the configured total and keeps it with the signed response. It does not alert staff, interpret a score or provide clinical decision support. Assigned staff therefore review submissions through the practice's own schedule and procedure.
The signed PDF, form version and audit trail remain available through signed records. A related next read is the Epworth Sleepiness Scale guide, which has different licensing and required-field considerations.
Use patient form templates to compare scale terms and the medical intake forms guide for surrounding documents. The main intake forms page covers packet structure and signatures.
Questions
How many answer choices does each AUDIT-C question have?
Each of the three questions has five answer choices worth 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 points. The choices differ between questions, so staff assign point values separately when building the online form.
Why does an online AUDIT-C use separate choice fields?
Separate choice fields allow each question to carry its own answer options. A matrix suits questions sharing the same choices, while AUDIT-C choices differ and the VA third question also has population-specific drink counts.
Which AUDIT-C cut points came from the validation study?
The validation study found a positive screen at 4 or more for men and 3 or more for women. The separate VA and Department of Defense cut point is 5 or more. The clinical lead selects the practice's rule.
Does a positive AUDIT-C screen establish a diagnosis?
No. The VA says a positive screen is never the sole basis for a diagnosis. Intake Pro retains the calculated total without interpreting it, and the practice's clinical lead determines result review and staff actions.