What is the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol?
Q: What is the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol?
A: The Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol (CIWA) is a scale used to measure alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Q: How many symptoms of alcohol withdrawal does the CIWA scale list?
A: The scale lists ten common symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.
Q: How are the symptoms assigned a number?
A: Based on how bad a person's symptoms are, each symptom is assigned a number.
Q: What is the highest possible score on the CIWA?
A: The highest possible score on the CIWA is 67.
Q: What do higher scores on the CIWA indicate?
A: Higher scores on the CIWA indicate more severe alcohol withdrawal.
Q: What do scores of 15 or less on the CIWA usually mean?
A: Scores of 15 or less on the CIWA usually mean a person is having mild alcohol withdrawal.
Q: What is the purpose of using the CIWA?
A: The CIWA is used not just to measure how bad withdrawal symptoms are, but also to guide decisions about what treatments to give, like when to give benzodiazepines.
