Purpose: Psychosis is a severe mental health problem and is responsible for poor health outcomes, premature mortality and morbidity, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), that is the time period between onset of symptoms until initiation of appropriate treatment by a healthcare professional, is one of the main determinants for successful treatment in western settings. This study aims to explore the factors related to the DUP among Surinamese patients using the perspectives from patients, their families and first-line healthcare professionals in Suriname.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Toxicology screening tests for drugs-of-abuse and therapeutic drugs in urine (TST-U) are often used to assess whether a patient's clinical condition can be explained by the use of drugs-of-abuse (DOA) and/or therapeutic drugs. TST-U have clinical value when they support clinical decision making by influencing diagnosis and patient care. We aim to quantify the influence of TST-U results on diagnosis and patient care in an emergency department.
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