Drug and alcohol review
-
Drug and alcohol review · Sep 2007
Feasibility and acceptability of a mental health screening tool and training programme in the youth alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector.
The high prevalence of co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders in young people is well established. Despite this, there are low rates of detection of co-occurring disorders across alcohol and other drug (AOD) services within Australia. This paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a mental health screening tool and training programme within the youth AOD sector. ⋯ Feedback from young people supported the feasibility, acceptability and relevance of the screening tool. Evaluation of the associated training programme indicated improvements in AOD workers' mental health knowledge, skills and confidence in mental health screening. These findings provide preliminary evidence of the feasibility and acceptability of the mental health screening tool to young people and the effectiveness of the training package within the youth AOD sector.
-
Drug and alcohol review · Sep 2007
Alcohol consumption of Australian women: results from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.
Alcohol misuse is responsible for extensive personal harm and high societal costs. Research related specifically to women's alcohol consumption is important due to gender differences in clinical outcomes and disease progression. ⋯ This study indicates that there is a small percentage of women who maintain levels of alcohol consumption associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality over time, but a much larger proportion of women that drink at hazardous levels sporadically during the life course. Prevention efforts may need to target transient high-risk alcohol consumers differently than consistently heavy alcohol consumers. Non-response bias and attrition may have caused the prevalence of both entrenched and episodic heavy consumption to be underestimated.
-
Drug and alcohol review · Jul 2007
Comparative StudyMortality related to pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence: a comparative analysis of coronial records.
The aim of this study was to compare the mortality associated with oral naltrexone, methadone and buprenorphine in opioid dependence treatment, employing a retrospective data analysis using coronial and prescription data. ⋯ This is the first comparison of mortality associated with these three pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence. The risk of death related to oral naltrexone appears higher than that related to methadone treatment.
-
Drug and alcohol review · Jul 2007
ReviewIncreasing prevalence of HIV, and persistent high-risk behaviours among drug users in Bangladesh: need for a comprehensive harm reduction programme.
The aim of this study was to examine trends in HIV and related risk behaviours in drug users in Bangladesh, the effects of prevention and harm reduction initiatives that have already been undertaken and to highlight immediate needs. ⋯ There are substantial gaps between current needs and the ongoing prevention and harm reduction activities. There is a pressing need for a comprehensive harm reduction programme and review of any policies and laws which may impede this.
-
Drug and alcohol review · Mar 2007
Pre-operative screening for excessive alcohol consumption among patients scheduled for elective surgery.
Pre-operative intervention for excessive alcohol consumption among patients scheduled for elective surgery has been shown to reduce complications of surgery. However, successful intervention depends upon an effective and practical screening procedure. This study examines current screening practices for excessive alcohol consumption amongst patients scheduled for elective surgery in general hospitals. ⋯ A validated tool and efficient screening procedure is required to detect excessive drinking before elective surgery. Patients often present to the PAC too close to the time of surgery for any change in drinking to reverse alcohol's effects. The role of the referring general practitioner and of printed advice from the surgeon in preparing patients for surgery needs further investigation.