Drug and alcohol review
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Drug and alcohol review · Sep 2013
Multicenter StudyCorrelates of pain in an in-treatment sample of opioid-dependent people.
The limited literature on pain in opioid-treatment samples indicates that it is highly prevalent. Understanding the implications of pain on treatment outcomes is important, particularly in light of ageing opioid-treatment cohorts. This study explores correlates of pain, including aberrant behaviours related to prescribed opioids. Our hypothesis is that pain may increase aberrant opioid-related behaviours, including illicit substance use, among opioid-dependent people. ⋯ The lack of association with pain and aberrant behaviours suggest that it should not be assumed that those in opioid treatment misuse medications in response to pain. The high prevalence of depression/anxiety symptoms indicates a need for further work with larger samples to explore pain and co-morbidity among opioid-dependent people.
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Drug and alcohol review · Sep 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialInvestigating the 'bath salt' panic: the rarity of synthetic cathinone use among students in the United States.
Until recently, synthetic cathinones marketed as 'bath salts' were legally sold at convenience stores and online in the USA. Media reports initiated concerns of a growing 'bath salt' epidemic. Despite media attention and the recent legal action banning synthetic cathinones, little is known about its prevalence or users. ⋯ 'Bath salts' have received a great deal of media attention in the USA, yet the prevalence of synthetic cathinone use among our sample was extremely rare. We suggest that the media attention focusing on synthetic cathinone use as a growing epidemic may be largely misplaced.
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Drug and alcohol review · Sep 2013
An examination of the influences on New South Wales general practitioners regarding the provision of opioid substitution therapy.
Few general practitioners (GP) prescribe opioid substitution therapy. Our aim was to analyse their previously identified motivating factors by describing their frequency and demographic associations. ⋯ The pattern of motivating factors towards the psychological, social and behavioural challenges of the management of dependency has a predominantly negative bias. However, this lessens with postgraduate training and OSTP experience. Structural and logistical options are identified to promote OSTP recruitment and retention. GPs resembling class 3 may be more amenable to becoming OSTPs and may be worth targeting for recruitment.
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Drug and alcohol review · Sep 2013
Comparative StudyA comparison of methods to identify alcohol involvement in youth injury-related emergency department presentation data.
The study aims to compare methods for identifying alcohol involvement in injury-related emergency department (ED) presentation in Queensland youth, and explore alcohol terminology used in triage text. ⋯ ED data are useful sources of information for identification of high-risk sub-groups to target intervention opportunities, though it is not a reliable source of data for incidence or trend estimation in its current unstandardised form. Improving the accuracy and consistency of identification, documenting and coding of alcohol involvement at the point of data capture in the ED is the most desirable long-term approach to produce a more solid evidence base to support policy and practice in this field.
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Drug and alcohol review · Sep 2013
Estimating the proportion of prescription opioids that is consumed by people who inject drugs in Australia.
To estimate the contribution that people who inject drugs (PWID) make to population-level use of prescription opioids in Australia. ⋯ PWID use prescription opioids at high levels and can account for a significant proportion of consumption. Increased oxycodone prescribing in Australia has not been driven by PWID. Opioid substitution therapy and other effective treatments need to be more available and attractive to PWID.