Cost-Effective Drug Testing: Analytical Methodology, Best Practices, and Clinical Utility

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Toxicology
• Public Health

Background:

• Global drug overdose deaths are rising, increasing demand for drug testing.
• Current testing methods, including immunoassays and chromatography, present trade-offs in cost, speed, and accuracy.
• Existing practices can lead to unnecessary expenses and limited clinical utility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current landscape of drug testing methods.
• To analyze the cost-effectiveness and patient-centered approaches in drug testing.
• To address the evolving public health challenge of drug overdose.

Main Methods:

• Review of substance use mortality and morbidity data.
• Analysis of the economic impact of substance use disorders.
• Overview of various drug testing methodologies and their cost-benefit.
• Discussion of strategies to enhance test utilization and cost-effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Cost-effectiveness hinges on appropriate test selection, understanding limitations, and interpreting results.
• Optimizing test panels and leveraging clinical informatics are crucial for efficient utilization.
• Emerging threats include new psychoactive substances and regulatory shifts.

Conclusions:

• Proper utilization of drug testing is essential for cost-effectiveness and clinical utility.
• Education, clinical informatics, and optimized test panels are fundamental.
• Novel approaches like noninvasive samples, automation, and AI can enhance testing practices.