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CIWA-Ar. Rating Scale for Alcohol Abstinence version of the Clinical Addiction Research Institute Fundation- revised / Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol Scale-Revised
Dimension: Characteristics of use
Area
Level of dependency
Specificity
Alcohol
Year
1989
Author
Sullivan JT, Sykora K, J Schneiderman, Naranjo CA, Sellers EM.
Identification and Classification
- Instrument
-
CIWA-Ar. Rating Scale for Alcohol Abstinence version of the Clinical Addiction Research Institute Fundation- revised / Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol Scale-Revised
- Acronym
-
CIWA-Ar
- Area
-
Level of dependency
- Dimension
-
Characteristics of use
- Specificity
-
Alcohol
- Objective
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To quickly and easily assess the severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms and to monitor the treatment response as well as for use in research.
- Factors it measures
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Alcohol withdrawal syndrome
- Year
-
1989
- Author
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Sullivan JT, Sykora K, J Schneiderman, Naranjo CA, Sellers EM.
- Availability
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Sullivan JT, Sykora K, J Schneiderman, Naranjo CA, Sellers EM. Assessment of Alcohol withdrawal scale: the revised clinical institute withdrawal assessment for Alcohol scale (CIWA-Ar). British Journal of Addiction, 1989; 84 (11): 1353-1357. In the appendix to the article, the authors specify that the scale is not copyrighted so it can be used freely. Available at: https://umem.org/files/uploads/1104212257_CIWA-Ar.pdf
- Link
Description
- Abstract
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The authors based their work on a previously developed scale of 15 items. This revised scale consists of 10 items that evaluate the following signs and symptoms of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome: nausea or vomiting, trembling, excessive sweating, anxiety, agitation, tactile alterations, hearing disturbances, visual disturbances, headache, and orientation and sensory deterioration.
- Psychometric characteristics
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NI
- No. of items
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15
- Way of administration
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Medical or nursing institutions offering detoxification service.
- Way of qualification
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Each item is scored from 0 to 7, with the exception of the last question, which is scored between 0 and 4. The total score is obtained by summing the score of each item. The maximum score of the scale is 67. A score below 10 suggests a slight withdrawal; between 10 and 20 points, moderate abstinence; scores above 20 indicate a severe withdrawal syndrome for which hospitalization is recommended.
- Application context
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Medical or nursing institutions offering detoxification service.
- Population
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Each item is scored from 0 to 7, with the exception of the last question, which is scored between 0 and 4. The total score is obtained by summing the score of each item. The maximum score of the scale is 67. A score below 10 suggests a slight withdrawal; between 10 and 20 points, moderate abstinence; scores above 20 indicate a severe withdrawal syndrome for which hospitalization is recommended.
- References
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Sullivan JT, Sykora K, J Schneiderman, Naranjo CA, Sellers EM. Assessment of Alcohol withdrawal scale: the revised clinical institute withdrawal assessment for Alcohol scale (CIWA-Ar). British Journal of Addiction, 1989; 84 (11): 1353-1357.