Substance use & misuse
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Substance use & misuse · Jul 2013
Trends in binge and heavy drinking, alcohol-related problems, and combat exposure in the U.S. military.
Population-based Department of Defense health behavior surveys were examined for binge and heavy drinking among U. S. active duty personnel. ⋯ Personnel with high combat exposure had significantly higher rates of heavy (26.8%) and binge (54.8%) drinking than their counterparts (17% and 45%, respectively). Heavy and binge drinking put service members at high risk for problems that diminish force readiness and psychological fitness.
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Substance use & misuse · Jun 2013
Comparative StudyPrescription drug abuse: a comparison of prescriber and pharmacist perspectives.
This study compared perceptions of prescribers and pharmacists (N = 89) regarding multiple aspects of prescription drug abuse. Questionnaires were developed to assess perceptions regarding the prevalence of prescription drug abuse, self-perceived communication competence, and additional communication and prescription drug abuse domains. Pharmacists perceived a larger percentage of patients (41%) to be abusing opioid pain relievers as compared with their prescriber colleagues (17%). ⋯ Self-efficacy beliefs for detecting and discussing prescription drug abuse with patients were low for both cohorts. Implications and limitations are noted. Year of data collection: 2012 SETTING: Rural Appalachia Data Collection Instruments: Prescriber- and pharmacist-specific survey instruments Data Analysis Techniques: Independent samples t-test; Mann-Whitney U test.
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Substance use & misuse · Jun 2013
The feasibility of pharmacy-based naloxone distribution interventions: a qualitative study with injection drug users and pharmacy staff in Rhode Island.
This study analyzed qualitative data from a Rapid Policy Assessment and Response project to assess the feasibility of a potential pharmacy-based naloxone intervention to reduce opioid overdose mortality among injection drug users (IDUs). We conducted in-depth, semistructured interviews with 21 IDUs and 21 pharmacy staff (pharmacists and technicians). ⋯ Implications for future pharmacy-based overdose prevention interventions for IDUs, including pharmacy-based naloxone distribution, are considered. The study's limitations are noted.
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In this paper, our goal is to report relative risks of the impact of alcohol consumption 6 hours prior to medical emergencies presenting in the emergency department for 8,346 patients in seven countries using data from the Emergency Room Collaborative Alcohol Analysis Project. We found that alcohol increased the risk of a medical emergency by 2.17 times (confidence interval: 1.78-2.65), and those without a regular pattern of heavy drinking and those younger showed a greater risk. Acute alcohol is associated not only with injury but also with medical emergencies. More studies are needed on the acute role of alcohol in medical emergencies, preferably with data on the type of medical emergencies.
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Substance use & misuse · May 2013
Barriers to medical provider support for prescription naloxone as overdose antidote for lay responders.
Poisonings are the leading cause of adult injury death in the United States. Over 12 weeks in 2011, 143 key informant interviews were conducted using a structured interview guide in three study sites in New England. ⋯ The study's implications and limitations are discussed and future research suggested. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded this study.