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. 2019 Jun 18;19:113. doi: 10.1186/s12911-019-0834-8

Table 3.

Summary of opioid withdrawal scales (1938–2018)

Scale name Mode of administration Scale items Rating criteria Temporal window covered Citation
Kolb and Himmelsbach Scale Clinician-administered 14 Points-based 24 h [33]
Himmelsbach Scale Clinician-administered 14 Points-based Hourly or 24 h [34]
SDQ1 or Fraser Scale

Clinician-administered

Patient-reported

6 (clinician)

4 (patient)

Weighted 5-point scale 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 min post-drug [45]
ARCI2 Patient-reported 550 True or False Immediate feeling [46]
OPW3 Patient-reported 29 5-point scale Immediate feeling [47]
WOW4 Clinician-administered 84 True/False Immediate feeling [35]
SOW5 Clinician-administered 80 True/False Immediate feeling [35]
Short Form ARCI Patient-reported 49 True/False Immediate feeling [48]
Wang Scale Clinician-administered 10 Points-based 10, 20, 30 min post injection [37]
Judson Scale Clinician-administered and Patient-reported

10 (clinician)

7 (patient)

4-point scale Prior to zero time, and 10, 20, 30 min post injection [38]
OWS6 Patient-reported 32 4-point scale 24 h [39]
SOWS7 Patient-reported 16 5-point scale Immediate feeling [40]
OOWS8 Clinician-administered 13 Present/Absent 10-min observation period [40]
ARSW9 Patient-reported 16 10-point scale 24 h [42]
CINA10 Clinician-administered 13 Point-based 5, 10, 15 mins post injection [49]
SOWS-Gossop Patient-reported 10 4 -point scale 24 h [43]
SOWQ11 Patient-reported 20 Anchored 100 mm analogue scale 24 h [44]
COWS12 Clinician-administered 11 Weighted scale 2-min observation period [19]

1Single Dose Opiate Questionnaire

2Addiction Research Center Inventory

3Opiate Withdrawal Subjective Experience Scale

4Weak Opiate Withdrawal Scale

5Strong Opiate Withdrawal Scale

6Opiate Withdrawal Scale

7Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale

8Objective Opiate Withdrawal Scale

9Adjective Rating Scale for Withdrawal

10Clinical Institute Narcotic Assessment

11Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Questionnaire

12Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale