Study suggests benefits of checklist to screen for SUD in primary care.

A substance use symptom checklist that is now routinely used at Kaiser Permanente primary care clinics in Washington state is effective in determining the severity of a disorder and does not appear to discriminate based on patient demographic characteristics, a newly published study has found. The results suggest the feasibility of tools that can be used in primary care settings to guide accurate diagnostic and treatment decisions for patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]