Background

COVID-19 dramatically limited the scale and scope of local health department (LHD) work, redirecting resources to the response. However, the need for essential public health services—including substance use prevention—was not reduced.

Methods

Six quantitative data sources were examined, collected between 2016 and 2021, to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on LHD substance use-related services.

Results

Before the pandemic, the proportion of LHDs providing some level of substance use prevention services was increasing, and many were expanding their level of provision...

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...

Introduction and aims

There is increasing interest and evidence for the use of cannabinoid medications in the treatment of cannabis use disorder, but little examination of the correlates of successful treatment. This paper is a secondary analysis of a randomised placebo-controlled trial of nabiximols for the treatment of cannabis use disorder (CUD), aiming to identify which client and treatment characteristics impact treatment engagement and outcomes.

Method

Bayesian multiple regression models were used to examine the impact of age, gender, duration of regular cannabis use, daily quantity...

Background

The COVID-19 emergency has tested the public health, medical, and public safety infrastructure of the United States (U.S.) in unprecedented ways. As the focal point for public health in their communities, local health departments (LHDs) were particularly impacted by the pandemic’s onset. The pandemic limited the scale and scope of local health department (LHD) work, redirecting resources to the response. However, the need for essential public health services—including substance use prevention—was not reduced.

Methods

Six quantitative data sources were examined, collected between...

Contingency management (CM) is a psychological treatment based on operant conditioning. It consists of providing incentives in exchange for achieving a target behaviour such as abstinence or other treatmentrelated variables (e.g. session attendance, adherence to medication). The objective of this article was to introduce the rationale of CM for substance use and, more specifically, for smoking cessation. A growing body of empirical literature supports CM as an effective treatment for quitting smoking both in the general population and among other hard-to-treat smokers (e.g. pregnant women or...

For behavioral health providers, the effectiveness of clinical work is dependent upon the clinician/client relationship. When appropriate boundaries are not maintained, it is these same relationships that can be at the root of serious professional misconduct. In this one hour workshop, participants will be provided with a summary overview of the legal ethical standards regarding non-clinical relationships with behavioral health clients. We will then apply these standards to discussion of scenarios and real-world examples. The focus will be dedicated to applying legal and standards from...

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...