Dear HIFA colleagues,
As a result of our interactions on HIFA in the past few days, we have 'discovered' that the AUDIT tool is being widely used as a self-administered online drinking check for the general public. As a result, it appears that tens of thousands of heavy drinkers (alcohol intake up to 42U per week, or 3X the recommended maximum) are potentially being misinformed that they are at ‘lower risk’ and thereby encouraged to continue drinking at unsafe levels. This is our impression, but it needs formal verification by others. We have therefore today informed the World Health Organization of this observation and will keep you updated.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
