Transaction Search Form: please type in any of the fields below.
Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 11:42 am
Time: 11:42 am
Results for pharmaceuticals, abuse
3 results foundAuthor: Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) Title: Pharmaceutical Misuse - Position Paper Summary: Pharmaceuticals are key to the realisation of positive health outcomes for many Victorians when used appropriately. However, Pharmaceutical misuse is a growing problem in Australia and has become endemic in other similar countries such as US and Canada. There are a number of populations vulnerable to pharmaceutical misuse, some of which are hidden and are not accessing treatment. GPs and other primary care prescribers and pharmacists, as the gatekeepers to community access of pharmaceuticals, are not supported strongly enough to prevent the harms associated with misuse. Various systemic failures at a range of levels contribute to this pending crisis. GPs and other primary care prescribers and pharmacists need heightened support and training and the alcohol and other drug treatment sector must be resourced to cater for increasingly complex service user presentations and geared to service hidden populations. A real time prescription monitoring program should be implemented with appropriate protections for community members. These initiatives should be supported by an overarching strategy which encapsulates the relevant sections of existing national and state strategies, refers to morbidity and mortality data and is evidence informed with measurable indicators. Details: Melbourne: VAADA, 2012. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 8, 2012 at: http://www.vaada.org.au/resources/items/2012/08/509413-upload-00001.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Australia URL: http://www.vaada.org.au/resources/items/2012/08/509413-upload-00001.pdf Shelf Number: 125910 Keywords: Drug Abuse and Addiction (Australia)Drug ControlDrug MonitoringMedicinesPharmaceuticals, Abuse |
Author: Lococo, Kathy H. Title: Literature Review of Polypharmacy and Older Drivers: Identifying Strategies to Collect Drug Usage and Driving Functioning Among Older Drivers Summary: This research product updates the state-of-the-knowledge regarding key factors that bear on NHTSA’s ability to investigate the effects of multiple medications on safe driving among older people. First, the prevalence of medication use by older people in the population, the physiological/metabolic effects of specific drugs and drug classes, and the known effects on driving ability—principally for single substances—are reviewed. Next, the strengths and weakness of various methods that may be used to learn which prescription and over-the-counter drugs are being taken by older adults are described and contrasted; a consideration of which factors most strongly affect compliance with a medication regime, and which factors influence older people’ willingness to participate in studies aimed at obtaining such information, complements this discussion. The remaining section in this review examines on-road, closed course, and simulation methods that have been applied in this arena, highlighting those that appear to hold the greatest promise for evaluating the effects of drugs on driving performance while also acknowledging shortcomings and limitations that have been reported in the literature. For the most part, this review concentrates on recent (since 2001) studies accessed through print and electronic media. A bibliography containing over 200 citations is included, plus an appendix identifying potentially inappropriate medications commonly prescribed for older, community-dwelling individuals. Details: Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Research and Technology, 2006. 104p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 20, 2012 at http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/olddrive/druguse_olderdriver/images/Job%202859%20Polypharmacy_NEW.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United States URL: http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/olddrive/druguse_olderdriver/images/Job%202859%20Polypharmacy_NEW.pdf Shelf Number: 126388 Keywords: Drug-Impaired DrivingMedicinesOlder Automobile DriversPharmaceuticals, Abuse |
Author: Lococo, Kathy H. Title: Polypharmacy and Older Drivers: Identifying Strategies to Study Drug Usage and Driving Functioning Among Older Drivers Summary: The goal of this project was to determine if there are practical means to obtain information about drug usage by older drivers under everyday, “real world” conditions that are valid and reliable, and to measure the consequences of multiple drug use for safe driving. Further goals were to identify candidate methodologies for carrying out such studies that are both cost-effective and likely to be successful in obtaining a diverse and representative sample of older drivers. These objectives were accomplished through the following tasks: a literature review; a brainstorming session including professionals with expertise in polypharmacy and driving performance measurement; and focus groups with older drivers. The literature review, published by NHTSA as a stand-alone document, contains three main sections. The first reviews the prevalence of medication use by community-dwelling older persons, the physiological/metabolic effects of specific drugs and drug classes, and the known effects on driving ability. The next discusses the strengths and weaknesses of various methods that may be used to learn which prescription and over-the-counter drugs are being taken by older adults, including a consideration of which factors most strongly affect compliance with a medication regime, and which factors influence older persons’ willingness to participate in studies aimed at obtaining such information. The last section examines onroad, closed course, and simulation methods that have been applied in prior studies of drug use and driving functioning. A one-day brainstorming session was conducted to afford guidance in the development of future NHTSA research plans for measuring medication use and driving performance. Project staff and consultants prepared discussion materials that were distributed in advance to 13 panel members, who also completed rating scale exercises to measure differences of opinion with respect to the practicality, reliability, and costeffectiveness of various research methodologies. Four focus groups were conducted with drivers age 55 to 85 in the Tampa, FL and Philadelphia, PA vicinities to better understand the perceptions and concerns that older drivers may have about participating in future NHTSA-sponsored studies where they would be asked to disclose their usage of prescription and over-the-counter medications, and participate in an assessment of their driving abilities. Results were summarized for use in planning later NHTSA research activities. Details: Washington, DC: Office of Research and Traffic Records, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2006. 92p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 22, 2012 at http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/olddrive/polypharmacy/images/Polypharmacy.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United States URL: http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/olddrive/polypharmacy/images/Polypharmacy.pdf Shelf Number: 127263 Keywords: Drug-Impaired DrivingMedicinesOlder Automobile DriversPharmaceuticals, Abuse |