Take One! Engaging Simulated Patients to Implement the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C)

Abstract : Patients meeting the criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are often undiagnosed, mainly due to failure to properly screen and ask difficult questions. Exposing nurses to realistic scenarios is imperative, considering the personal nature of alcohol use. Engaging individuals trained to act as patients can significantly increase nurses' perceived confidence and readiness to deliver the AUDIT-C and accurately identify hazardous drinkers.
Clinical research nurses participated in AUDIT-C simulations involving three simulated patient scenarios 1) patient privacy, 2) declining to participate, and 3) positive screen. An interdisciplinary team developed and tested scripts with a simulated patient. The simulations were designed for nurses to work through potential scenarios, ask the AUDIT-C questions, and safely intervene when needed. An electronic version of the AUDIT-C enhanced realism allowing nurses to chart in "real-time."
The target audience was nurses working in a neurosurgical clinical research inpatient unit. The benefits of engaging simulated patients include enhancing nurse knowledge, competence, and confidence when delivering the AUDIT-C to identify and intervene accurately.
The outcomes of the simulations were for nurses to effectively use the tool, intervene appropriately, and document accurately. Post-intervention surveys and chart audits demonstrated high satisfaction with the simulated patient experiences, high documentation compliance, and nurses felt prepared and confident to screen patients.
This project demonstrates that engaging simulated patients to implement the AUDIT-C in an inpatient setting is an effective strategy to increase nurses' confidence when asking difficult questions and improve patient outcomes.