Triage Assessments

Risk assessments are conducted on individuals who use alcohols in order to determine the severity of the issue and how important it is for them to receive treatment. Finding out the true extent of the person’s alcohol use and the likelihood of more serious issues can help you determine whether a alcohol rehab program is required. These risk, or ‘triage assessments’ are usually conducted in the form of a questionnaire which quizzes the user to determine the frequency of their use, their risk of overdose, their level of safety in injecting and sexual practices, risks of harms to others and possible risks to dependent children.

Many people who have a problem with alcohols will hide the true extent of the issue. This can be to protect their loved ones from stress, or because they genuinely don’t realise how serious their problem is. This presents an issue for risk assessments, in that responses to the questions may not be entirely accurate. Most questionnaires counteract this by asking questions on many different aspects of their addiction, in order to form a full picture of the person’s problems. Alcohol rehab will be suggested to any particularly at-risk individuals.

The primary goal of risk assessments is to determine the potential for serious consequences from the person’s addiction. These include physical and mental health problems, social and legal problems, risks to dependent children and other risk behaviours such as needle sharing. The questions will also aim to determine whether a substitute to the substance should be provided by a alcohol rehab centre, the person’s desire to change and their expectations for treatment. People who administer the questionnaires will also provide immunisation for hepatitis B and testing for HIV and hepatitis.

A major part of risk assessments is determining the severity of the person’s current use. If self-reported, this is the area of the assessment most susceptible to under-reporting and outright lying. This has caused many alcohol rehab centres to choose to test users’ urine as part of their risk assessments. The laboratory test will give a more accurate picture of their alcohol use and is more difficult to falsify. The questions will cover the routes of administration and the methods of preparation of the substance.

The priorities for risk assessments are the most serious possible consequences. These include the risk of overdose, the use of multiple different alcohols, risk of self harm, possibility of harm to others, unsafe sexual practices and unsafe injecting practices. There are also numerous questions asked to relevant respondents about their dependents, which aim to determine if they are at risk. These areas are very serious, and if a significant risk is found, the person is strongly recommended to attend a alcohol rehab program.

The results of risk assessments are vital for gaining a true understanding of the severity of the issue. Many alcohol rehab facilities will conduct a risk assessment on new patients, and some can even be found online. If you think that you or your loved one could benefit from attending alcohol rehab, risk assessments can give you an objective understanding of the risks associated with continued use. Answer some questionnaires or convince your loved one to if possible.

If you want any more information on risk assessments and the likelihood you or a loved one has a serious problem, please get in touch! We provide free advice, and can help you choose the correct alcohol rehab program for your needs. We have a thorough knowledge of the different facilities available across the country and the treatment options offered by each. Deciding whether you need alcohol rehab and which specific program is best for you can be challenging, but we are here to help.