EVIDENCE LIBRARY
Can SCRAM Miss a Low-Level Drinking Episode?
A monitoring period with no confirmed SCRAM event can still contain low-level drinking. Detection depends partly on the criteria used to turn a series of readings into an event.
A monitoring period with no confirmed SCRAM event can still contain low-level drinking. Detection depends partly on the criteria used to turn a series of readings into an event.
Why the classification rule matters
A 2020 review of 13 studies reported that, in one comparison, adjusted criteria increased SCRAM sensitivity from 39.9% to 68.5%. Those figures apply to the comparison summarized in the review. Changing the criteria can also change how often an episode is incorrectly flagged.
What a no-event report tells you
Check whether the monitor returned usable samples throughout the period and identify the applied detection rule. That separates a period with no qualifying event from a period where missing samples limit the assessment.
Source
Van Egmond et al., 2020 systematic review of wearable transdermal alcohol monitors