What is the Drug Abuse Testing Questionnaire (DAST-10) and how does it work?

The DAST is an instrument for systematic assessment of drug use and abuse. It was developed by Harvey Skinner at York University in 1982 as a way to provide valuable information to practitioners for identifying problems as early as possible, tailoring interventions to a patient, and measuring the effectiveness of treatments.

With only 10 items, the DAST-10 can be self-administered in about 2 minutes, making it suitable for routine screening and other clinical usage, resulting in a quantitative index of the consequences of drug abuse for a particular patient. The DAST-10 is a shorter version of the 20-item DAST-20, but correlates almost perfectly with the longer scale despite taking less time.

Each item on the DAST-10 asks about involvement with drugs other than alcohol, such as non-medical use of drugs and use of prescribed drugs in excess of directions. Each question refers to the past 12 months, and the patient responds with “yes” or “no.” In Creyos Health, the DAST-10 can be administered in-clinic or sent remotely for patients to take on their own device. Written instructions define the terms involved, so every patient is on the same page and can provide consistent information.

The DAST-10 is scored by assigning one point to each response that indicates problematic drug use, forming a total score out of 10. Higher scores indicate a greater degree of problems or consequences related to drug abuse. Tentative guidelines, ranging from brief counseling to intensive interventions, are recommended based on this score. In Creyos Health, the DAST is automatically scored, and guidelines to aid in interpretation are presented on the patient’s report. If a patient has taken the DAST more than once, scores are tracked over time and a graph is generated.

DAST-10 scores have proven to be reliable and valid in several studies, ensuring the scale can be confidently used in research and clinical settings across a variety of populations. See the paper by Yudko, Lozhkina, and Fouts (2007) for a review of the DAST’s psychometric properties, and for more information on scoring and administration, review the guide for using the DAST.

Important note: the purpose of the DAST-10 is to assess drug abuse. However, it is not a standalone diagnostic tool. Any conclusions drawn from the DAST-10 should be paired with clinical interviews and observations, other health examinations or assessments administered, other evaluations of the patient, and/or the patient’s family history.