Background: Over the past decade, drug-related overdoses have seen a significant rise both in North America and globally. The COVID-19 pandemic has further emphasised the urgent need for safer supply programs to replace unregulated substances, reducing toxicity and overdose risks. Service providers play a crucial role in delivering safer supply initiatives, yet there's limited empirical evidence from their perspective on what constitutes effective safer supply programs. This study delves into the initial implementation and impacts of a safer supply program, capturing insights from an...

Background: Physical health problems are common in people receiving opioid agonist treatment (OAT). A study was conducted on these health issues in OAT patients in the Czech Republic and Norway from 2010 to 2019, with a focus on gender differences.

Methods: In this study, it was a population-based cohort study that linked multiple health records to investigate physical diseases (using ICD-10 codes) in patients receiving OAT in the Czech Republic (4,280 patients) and Norway (11,389 patients) from 2010 to 2019. A gender-stratified analysis was performed.

Results: The study found that both male...

INTRODUCTION: The Cyprus National Addictions Authority (NAAC) is the main coordinating body for all matters related to licit and illicit substances as well as pathological gambling in Cyprus and it is responsible, inter alia, for the licensing, evaluation, funding (where possible), coordination, and reinforcement of all programmes, actions, and activities related to substances and gambling. Licensing and funding are based on the fulfilment of certain criteria and a certain level of quality.

METHODS: The process that led to the establishment of a quality standards system for licensing and...

CONTEXTE : La mise en œuvre de normes de qualité dans le traitement des troubles liés à l’utilisation de substances en Lituanie n’est pas bien documentée dans la littérature. OBJECTIFS : Décrire le processus d’élaboration des normes de qualité, depuis les initiatives locales jusqu’à leur intégration dans les soins de santé ordinaires sous la direction du ministère de la Santé.

MÉTHODES : Examen narratif des documents récupérés, y compris les actes juridiques connexes, suivi d’une analyse ultérieure du contenu.

RÉSULTATS : La mise en œuvre a été divisée en trois étapes caractérisées par des...

The UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia (ROCA) together with the UNODC Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section (PTRS) organized a study tour for high-level representatives, including senior officials, policymakers and substance use disorders clinicians, from the Republic of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyz Republic to London, United Kingdom from 24 to 27 April 2023.

The main purpose of the visit was to learn and witness best practices in the areas of clinical governance, quality, and performance management of drug use disorder treatment services. The visiting...

The UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia (ROCA) conducted a series of National Trainings “UNODC Drug Use Disorder Treatment Systems Quality Assurance (QA)” which took place 27 to 28 February 2023 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 2 to 3 March 2023 in Dushanbe Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and from 9 to 10 March 2023 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The main goal of these three (3)  trainings was to increase the capacity of key national stakeholders on the development of the national quality assurance system standards, in line with the UNODC-WHO International Standards for Treatment of Drug Use Disorders. In...

Региональным представительством УНП ООН в Центральной Азии был организован национальный тренинг «Обеспечение качества систем лечения расстройств, связанных с употреблением наркотиков», который прошел в Бишкеке, Кыргызстан, 28–30 ноября 2022 года.

Данное мероприятие по повышению потенциала проводилось в рамках глобального проекта УНП ООН GLOJ71 «Лечение наркозависимости и ее последствий для здоровья: Treatnet» в сотрудничестве с Подпрограммой 3: Решение проблем с наркотиками, усиление лечения расстройств, связанных с употреблением наркотиков, и профилактика ВИЧ/СПИДа Программы УНП ООН для...

The UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia (ROCA) conducted a National Training “UNODC Drug Use Disorder Treatment Systems Quality Assurance (QA)” which took place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on 28-30 November 2022.

This capacity building exercise was conducted in the framework of the UNODC global project GLOJ71 “Treating drug dependence and its health consequences: Treatnet II” in collaboration with Sub-programme 3: Addressing drug problems, increasing treatment of drug use disorders, and preventing HIV/AIDS” of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia 2022-2025. Moreover, the event was implemented...

Background

Interdisciplinary collaborations (i.e., where various disciplines work coordinated and interdependently toward shared goals) are stated to yield higher team effectiveness than multidisciplinary approaches (i.e., where various disciplines work in parallel within their professional boundaries) in somatic health care settings. Nevertheless, research is lacking on interdisciplinary approaches for alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment of hospitalized patients as these types of approaches are still uncommon. This study aims to evaluate an innovative interdisciplinary AUD treatment...

Ce mois-ci, le 9 novembre 2022, la réunion des partenaires de DDR de l’International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) a proposé une discussion sur l’assurance qualité et comprenait deux présentations :

• Amélioration de la qualité des bâtiments pour les systèmes de traitement SUD, Victor Capoccia, Consultant
• Amélioration de la qualité – Prochaines étapes, Brian Morales, INL

La réunion a mis en évidence l’importance de comprendre l’expérience du patient, les approches reproductibles, éprouvées et pratiques pour améliorer le traitement du SUD, en plus des normes et des mesures qui...

La gestion des contingences (GC) est un traitement psychologique basé sur le conditionnement opérant. Il consiste à fournir des incitations en échange de l’atteinte d’un comportement cible tel que l’abstinence ou d’autres variables liées au traitement (par exemple, la participation aux séances, l’observance du traitement). L’objectif de cet article était d’introduire la justification de la MC pour la consommation de substances et, plus précisément, pour l’abandon du tabac. Un nombre croissant de publications empiriques soutient la MC comme un traitement efficace pour cesser de fumer à la fois...

Background

Appointment no-show and early dropout from treatment represent major challenges in outpatient substance use disorder treatment, adversely affecting clinical outcomes and health care productivity. In this quasi-experimental study, we examined how a brief reminder intervention for new patients before their first appointment affected treatment participation and retention. No-shows (not attending any sessions) and dropouts (discontinuation of initiated treatment because of three consecutively missed appointments) were compared between a period with pre-admission telephone calls...

Background

In somatic health care settings, interdisciplinary collaborations (where various disciplines work coordinated and interdependently toward shared goals) are considered to yield higher team effectiveness than multidisciplinary approaches (where various disciplines work in parallel within their professional boundaries). Nonetheless, research on multidisciplinary techniques for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in hospitalised patients is limited since these approaches are relatively uncommon. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a novel multidisciplinary AUD treatment...

Background

Aftercare programs for people with substance use disorders (PWSUD) are frequently challenged with a number of overlapping obstacles, including uncertain policy consequences and a lack of resources. Despite demographic variety, service providers in South Africa are obligated to offer aftercare programs that effectively reintegrate people with PWSUD into society, the workforce, family, and community life, as specified by Act No. 70 of 2008. Little is known about the availability of aftercare services in South Africa, particularly in rural areas. This paper investigates service...