Excerpt

Two approaches have been proposed for identifying illicit drug use and drug abuse among patients seen in routine clinical encounters: toxicologic tests of blood or urine, and standardized screening questionnaires. This report focuses only on the second approach. While toxicologic testing can provide objective evidence of drug use, false-positive results due to cross-reactions, contamination, or mislabeled specimens are always possible. More importantly, these tests do not distinguish between occasional users and individuals who are dependent on or otherwise impaired by drug use.

Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Methods
• 3. Results
• 4. Discussion
• 5. Conclusion
• References

Suggested citation:

Lanier D, Ko S. Screening in Primary Care Settings for Illicit Drug Use: Assessment of Screening Instruments — A Supplemental Evidence Update for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Evidence Synthesis No. 58, Part 2. AHRQ Publication No. 08-05108-EF-2. Rockville, Maryland: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. January 2008.

This report is based on research conducted by the staff of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Rockville, Maryland.

The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the authors, who are responsible for its content, and do not necessarily represent the views of AHRQ. No statement in this report should be construed as an official position of AHRQ or of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The information in this report is intended to help clinicians, employers, policymakers, and others make informed decisions about the provision of health care services. This report is intended as a reference and not as a substitute for clinical judgment.

This report may be used, in whole or in part, as the basis for the development of clinical practice guidelines and other quality enhancement tools, or as a basis for reimbursement and coverage policies. AHRQ or U.S. Department of Health and Human Services endorsement of such derivative products may not be stated or implied.

No investigators have any affiliations or financial involvement (e.g., employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties) that conflict with material presented in this report.