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Drug use, self report and urinalysis
B Kilpatrick1, M Howlett, P Sedgwick
1Department of Addictive Behaviour, St George's Hospital Medical School, London, UK.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
|February 11, 2000
Summary
Urinalysis is important in drug treatment alongside self-reports. Using urinalysis more selectively, based on patient progress, could improve effectiveness and manage costs in addiction treatment.
Area of Science:
- Addiction Medicine
- Clinical Chemistry
Background:
- The financial implications of healthcare decisions are increasingly important.
- Effective drug treatment requires accurate patient monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the discriminatory use of urinalysis in drug treatment.
- To determine if urinalysis can be used more selectively without compromising effectiveness.
Main Methods:
- The study examined the combined use of urinalysis and self-report in drug user treatment.
- It considered the financial and clinical effectiveness of urinalysis.
Main Results:
- Urinalysis remains a crucial adjunct to self-report in monitoring drug users.
- Selective use of urinalysis, guided by clinical judgment, is proposed.
Conclusions:
- Urinalysis is valuable in drug treatment but can be applied more selectively.
- Further research is needed to refine selective urinalysis protocols in addiction care.