Cut Down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-Opener (CAGE)
The Cut Down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-Opener (CAGE) was designed to screen patient risk for alcohol abuse and dependence in the clinical setting. This version of the tool is a brief 4-item, clinician administered instrument, often utilized in the primary care setting. A positive screen should be followed with proper diagnostic evaluation using standard clinical criteria. The CAGE was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 1984.
The screening questions follow a basic mnemonic device:
Cut Down: focusing on …