Drug and alcohol review
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Drug and alcohol review · Jul 2013
Factors influencing pharmacy services in opioid substitution treatment.
Heroin dependence is a serious health burden in Australia. Opioid substitution treatment (OST) has been delivered in Australian community pharmacies since 1985. The effectiveness of pharmacy-based OST is evident and the demand is increasing; however, the participation rate of community pharmacies is low, with over 60% non-providers. While previous Australian studies have focused on perspectives of community pharmacists providing the service, the views of non-providers have not yet been explored. This study aimed to further investigate factors influencing pharmacists' participation in provision of OST in the community pharmacy setting in New South Wales, Australia. ⋯ This study explored views from both OST providers and non-providers, revealing a number of previously undocumented barriers that affect the uptake of OST provision in New South Wales community pharmacies. There were also profound ethical issues raised for consideration. These findings may help inform future policies aimed at encouraging pharmacists' provision of OST, to address the unmet needs of the ever-increasing number of heroin-dependent clients in the community.
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Drug and alcohol review · May 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialPrevalence and key covariates of non-medical prescription opioid use among the general secondary student and adult populations in Ontario, Canada.
To assess the prevalence and key covariates of non-medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) in two representative surveys of adults (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Monitor, CM) and secondary-school students (Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, OSDUHS). ⋯ NMPOU was high in adults and especially students. Independent predictors of NMPOU were largely inconsistent by sex. Notably, NMPOU is widely distributed across socio-demographic and -economic strata, and thus requires broad-based interventions.
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Drug and alcohol review · May 2013
Trends in fentanyl prescriptions and fentanyl-related mortality in Australia.
The study aims to quantify trends in fentanyl prescribing and fentanyl mortality in Australia within the context of concern among health professionals concerning increasing accessibility of fentanyl, and the harms that may arise as a result. ⋯ There have been significant increases in fentanyl prescribing in Australia. It is unclear what proportion of this increase represents legitimate treatment of pain. Fentanyl deaths have also increased, although mortality is currently low in Australia. A large proportion of the deaths involved the injection of diverted fentanyl, highlighting the need for messages regarding safer injecting practices targeting people who inject drugs, and strategies to minimise the risks of diversion.
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Drug and alcohol review · Jan 2013
When the cats are away: the impact of sporting events on assault- and alcohol-related emergency department attendances.
Despite the attention given to the broad topic of alcohol and violence, there are few studies of this relationship in the context of sporting events and their impact on alcohol-related hospital emergency department (ED) attendances, none of which are Australian. ⋯ It appears that increases in ED attendances associated with the success of a local sporting team are not significantly associated with alcohol use and are more influenced by other factors.