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Definition - What does CAGE Questionnaire mean?

The CAGE Questionnaire is a succinct survey used internationally by medical practitioners to identify any existing, or potential, alcohol problems in a person. The name is derived from the four questions of the screening tool: Cut-down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener. The four questions are scored according to the answers given, where the answer Yes is assigned a scoring of 1 and the answer No is assigned the scoring of 0. A total score of 2 or above is considered a positive test result.

SureHire explains CAGE Questionnaire

The CAGE Questionnaire was created by Dr John Ewing and is designed to be used on people who are aged 16 and over. The tool has proven to be more accurate than inquiring as to how many drinks a person consumes because they typically underestimate this number. The four questions of the questionnaire are:

"1. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?

2. Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?

3. Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?

4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover (eye-opener)?"

Medical practitioners can then use the results of the questionnaire to determine whether or not more serious inquires should be made with the patient about their alcohol use and if treatment is necissary.