Davis CR, Keen A, Compton L, Rader T, Harbison R, Twibell R. Alcohol Withdrawal Assessment Tool (AWAT) Reliability and Validity: Implications for Nurses Caring for Inpatients With Mental Health Disorders.
J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc 2024;
30:757-764. [PMID:
37387313 DOI:
10.1177/10783903231183910]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Alcohol use affects 14.5 million Americans and high prevalence of use and potential for withdrawal among hospitalized patients presents a challenge for health care professionals to anticipate and manage effectively. Due to the acuity and fast-paced nature of the hospital environment, nurses need assessment tools that can be readily completed and drive efficient protocol-based treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine psychometric properties of the alcohol withdrawal assessment tool (AWAT).
AIMS
The aims were to examine AWAT (1) reliability, (2) validity, and (3) usability.
METHODS
Patients (n = 55) and nurses (n = 47) were recruited from six hospitals within one health care system in the Midwest. Psychometric testing included inter-rater reliability and criterion-related validity testing, using the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol Scale-Revised (CIWA-Ar) as a comparison. Usability was assessed with a 5-item Likert-type scale.
RESULTS
Findings supported strong agreement (ICC: .931) between raters on the AWAT and a moderate correlation (Pearson r: .548) between scores on the AWAT and CIWA-Ar. Nurses agreed/strongly agreed that the AWAT took 2 min or less to complete (n = 42; 89%), was easy to use for assessment (n = 42; 89%) was easy to learn (n = 40; 85%), and they were confident using the AWAT (n = 39; 83%).
CONCLUSIONS
Study findings provide evidence of reliability, validity, and usability of the AWAT in the hospital setting. The AWAT has potential to improve assessment efficiency and nurses caring for inpatients with mental health disorders should consider implementing the tool into practice.
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