Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly最新文献

Last week Robert Morrison, executive director of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Agency Directors (NASADAD) received the 2024 Tom Fellows Award for service from Oxford House Inc. at the world convention held in Orlando, Florida.

Two categories of medications that have soared in popularity in addressing weight loss could eventually become impactful strategies in the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). But the findings that suggest this potential has been observational to this point, meaning more targeted trials will be necessary before these therapies can be seen as a breakthrough.

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Consumption (AUDIT-C) is a validated screen, but until recently has not been evaluated in routine conditions for adult primary care patients. A new study has found that AUDIT-C screens have “excellent” test-retest reliability, which assesses the consistency of results when given at two different times. Excellent test-retest reliability means that there are similar results across separate test administrations, and the study, supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), shows that the AUDIT-C can be used reliably in adult primary care patients. The study, led by Claire B. Simon, M.D., of the University of Washington in Seattle, used electronic health record (EHR) data from Kaiser Permanente. For the study, more than 18,000 adult primary care patients completed two AUDIT-C screens at 1 to 21 days apart as part of routine care in 2021. Screen results were reliable whether completed in person or online through patient portals. However, reliability was higher when the patient completed both screens using online patient portals, compared to completing both screens in the clinic or one in the clinic and one online. Therefore, completing two screens may be a better option than just doing one. The study, High test–retest reliability of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Consumption (AUDIT-C) questionnaire completed by primary care patients in routine care, is published in the February 2024 issue of Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research. The researchers also found that reliability was lower for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients and multiracial patients.

Last week NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) met in Washington for its annual conference and Hill Day, when members of the group go to Capitol Hill to make specific asks of their representatives. Held in a different location each year, the conference site this year made visits to Congress essential. So does the state of the organization, which is now under the leadership of Terrence D. Walton, who came to the organization from Rise Up (formerly called the National Association of Drug Court Professionals).

Now in research phases, an armband that senses opioid overdose and automatically injects naloxone is hoped to prevent deaths, which now number 100,000 a year. Naloxone must be administered almost immediately after an overdose to prevent brain damage. With almost half of opioid overdose deaths occurring when the victim is totally alone, it may be essential to move this technology forward, according to AltruMed, which is seeking federal funding for its DOVE device. It detects opioid overdose via pulse oximetry and accelerometry. A current grant is testing the harness, sensor and injector components of DOVE.

New Yorkers can get free fentanyl test strips, xylazine test strips and/or naloxone from the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). These can be requested from the local Opioid Overdose Prevention Program or a pharmacy, according to OASAS, if supplies are needed immediately. For a directory of Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs, go here. Delivery will take two weeks, according to OASAS. To order the test strips and naloxone, submit a request through the website: https://forms.ny.gov/s3/Harm-Reduction-Order-Form. The initiative is paid for by the Opioid Settlement Fund.

Last week Chinazo Cunningham, M.D., commissioner of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), announced her election to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). “I am extremely honored to be one of the newest members of the National Academy of Medicine,” she said.

Carlo DiClemente, Ph.D., the legendary creator, with Prochaska, of the stages of change theory for motivational interviewing, talked about the relevance of this 40-year-old model in current treatment at the annual meeting of the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) in Washington last week. He noted not to put people in one of the “boxes”: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and relapse. Substance use is more fluid than that, and in fact, relapse is not itself a substance use problem, he said — it's a problem that is probable and to be expected and dealt with in any health behavior such as diabetes, diet and exercise.

The annual AMERSA Conference (Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction) will be held November 14-16 in Chicago. For more information, go to https://amersa.org/

Last week California announced that Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, will pay for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment with “traditional health care practices in use since time immemorial,” according to a press release from Gov. Gavin Newsom. The two types of treatment covered include those used by Native Americans.