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I am helping my chiropractor wife redesign her patient intake form. Apparently there has to be the tedious question, which I have worded as “How much alcohol do you drink?”, with the circle-one selection of answers being “Buckets”, “Lots”, “Some”, “A little”, and “None”.

Is this wording clear? Would it appeal to the British sense of humour?

(Answers to the question on the form are, of course, subject to medical confidentiality, so I’m not telling.)

Whilst i find the selection quite funny and wish a lighthearted approach such as this could find favour in the medical world, there is a problem in that the answers are subjective. What i consider Buckets might be considered Some by someone else.

Thus, if data consistency and quality is paramount, use the how often per week or month approach. If not, stick to your selection.

The world needs more British humour.

This is not for rigorous analysis: it is merely so that my chiropractor wife can know who has a problem (too much), who has a problem (too little), and who is as perfect as her husband. That is all.

Where are the smart ass answers?

"I don't drink alcohol. I drink beer - and lots of it! - which just happens to contain alcohol."
"I have fruit salad for dinner every night. Well really grape salad. Meaning fermented grapes. Fine, I drink wine every night."

However the first question is asked, many people will tend to understate the true value, either due to self-delusion or embarrassment.
I wonder if more accuracy could be obtained using a less formal secondary question, something along the lines of:

1. How much do you drink:
(a) Never
(b) Very occasionally
(c) A glass of wine/beer a few times a week
(d) A glass of wine/beer most nights, or a few glasses on some nights
(e) Several glasses of wine/beer most nights
(f) My name is Julian

2. How accurately do you feel you answered the previous question:
(a) Very accurately
(b) I may have under-estimated a little
(c) I totally lied my arse off

What about offering patients the opportunity to tell the truth:

• None
• Not as much as I'd like to
• About the right amount
• More than I should
• Not as much as he does

PhilW wrote:1. How much do you drink:
(a) Never
(b) Very occasionally
(c) A glass of wine/beer a few times a week
(d) A glass of wine/beer most nights, or a few glasses on some nights
(e) Several glasses of wine/beer most nights
(f) My name is Julian

(g) Someone had to take over for Derek. I volunteered.

AHB wrote:What about offering patients the opportunity to tell the truth:

• None
• Not as much as I'd like to
• About the right amount
• More than I should
• Not as much as he does

This excellent suggestion will be put to the Mrs.

Glenn E. wrote:

PhilW wrote:1. How much do you drink:
(a) Never
(b) Very occasionally
(c) A glass of wine/beer a few times a week
(d) A glass of wine/beer most nights, or a few glasses on some nights
(e) Several glasses of wine/beer most nights
(f) My name is Julian

(g) Someone had to take over for Derek. I volunteered.

The very thought of being superseded by an American has spurred me on to try harder!

...and I think you will find that I have already filled one of these forms in at Mrs W's House of Pain and answered 1(a), 2(c) on Phil's scale

Perhaps the question should be worded "What do you consider the right size of bottle of port for dinner 'a deux'?"

1. A half
2. A regular bottle
3. A magnum
4. A Tappit Hen
5. All of the above!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Modified form asks:

• How much alcohol do you drink?
◊ Buckets
◊ Lots
◊ Some
◊ A little
◊ None

• How accurate was your answer to the previous question?
◊ Honest!
◊ Slight under-estimate
◊ I lied

jdaw1 wrote:Modified form asks:

• How much alcohol do you drink?
◊ Buckets
◊ Lots
◊ Some
◊ A little
◊ None

• How accurate was your answer to the previous question?
◊ Honest!
◊ Slight under-estimate
◊ I lied