CIWA-Ar
Pronunciation: SEE-wah
Also written as: CIWA-Ar — Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-Revised
Standardized assessment tool for measuring alcohol withdrawal severity and guiding medication management.
Full Definition
The Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-Revised is a validated 10-item scale used to assess and monitor alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The tool measures nausea/vomiting, tremor, paroxysmal sweats, anxiety, agitation, tactile disturbances, auditory disturbances, visual disturbances, headache, and orientation. Scores range from 0-67, with higher scores indicating more severe withdrawal. CIWA-Ar protocols typically involve administering the assessment every 4-8 hours and using threshold scores to guide benzodiazepine administration. This symptom-triggered approach to medication dosing has become the standard of care in most detoxification settings.
Usage
Usage note: Include hyphen and 'Ar' to distinguish from original CIWA version.
In Context
- "The patient's CIWA-Ar score of 15 indicated moderate withdrawal requiring medication intervention." — Nursing assessment documentation
- "Staff training included proper administration and scoring of the CIWA-Ar assessment tool." — Competency evaluation record