Re-examining mandatory drug testing in Australian prisons.

Mandatory drug testing is commonly used in Australian prisons to detect and deter drug use. In this commentary, we review the limited evidence for mandatory drug testing programs, highlight potential harms associated with their implementation and provide recommendations for drug surveillance in prisons concordant with a harm minimisation framework.

Do video or telephone consultations impact attendance rates in an addiction medicine specialist outpatient clinic?

Background: Effective alcohol and other drugs (AODs) treatment has been proven to increase productivity and reduce costs to the community. Telehealth has previously been proven effective at delivering AOD treatment in the right settings. Yet, Australia's current Medicare funding restricts telephone consultations.

Time for Australia to increase take away doses in opioid agonist treatment.

Opioid Agonist Treatment is the cornerstone of minimising harms related to opioid use, however its uptake is limited by a tightly regulated and stigmatising treatment environment. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated relaxation of some treatment restrictions, with global evidence pointing to more patient-centred care in this time. In light of local evidence to support the safety of increased access to takeaway doses and a precedent set by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, we recommend adoption of the Australian Interim Medication Assisted Treatment of Opioid Dependence guidance in Australia.

Direct induction onto high-dose long-acting injectable buprenorphine: A case series.

Introduction: This case series reports on five patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) who were commenced directly onto high-dose long-acting injectable buprenorphine (LAIB).

Method: A retrospective audit and manual review of the electronic medical record at cohealth Innerspace was conducted for patients who had been directly inducted onto high-dose LAIB.

Results: Five cases were identified on retrospective manual file review.

Buprenorphine microdosing regimen using transdermal buprenorphine patches to transition from methadone to buprenorphine.

Introduction: This case series records a cohort of patients treated with transdermal buprenorphine patches as part of a buprenorphine microdose induction protocol to transition from methadone to buprenorphine in a community setting. This has historically been a difficult process to manage in community settings and this case series explored a method to gradually manage this in an outpatient setting.

Method: A retrospective file audit was conducted of the electronic medical records of cohealth Innerspace patients who had undergone buprenorphine microdose induction using transdermal patches.

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome in pregnancy: Challenges and opportunities.

Antenatal cannabis consumption is common and associated with adverse perinatal outcomes, including low birthweight, pre-term birth and increased rates of admission to neonatal intensive care. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) comprises severe, cyclical episodes of vomiting, intractable nausea and abdominal pain observed in chronic cannabis users. CHS, particularly during pregnancy, poses a diagnostic dilemma with a tendency to be ineffectively managed secondary to reduced clinician awareness and a scarcity of available therapies.

People who use drugs in hospital settings: 'Moving towards a person-centred harm reduction model'.

People who use drugs often continue to use drugs while in hospital. However, health-care systems often expect abstinence from drugs as a condition of engagement in various services. This commentary piece proposes that this approach is inconsistent with the principles of person-centred care.

Enhancing person-centred care and access to primary care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The pandemic has amplified the health needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and influenced the way primary care services are delivered. The purpose of this critical perspective is to explore the research on person-centred care (PCC) that has been conducted during the pandemic, with a contextual focus on care delivered by general practitioners (GPs) to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The pandemic has shown that primary care needs to be flexible, adaptive and innovative to maintain PCC.

Lifestyle interventions in the management of substance use disorder.

Background: Substance use disorder (SUD) is a persistent problem within society and an issue of increasing community awareness and concern. SUD is often comorbid with significant mental health challenges, trauma and negative social determinants of health. SUDs contribute to increased burden of chronic disease and can lead to increased mortality and shorter life expectancy, not just through overdose but also through increased rates of mental and physical chronic disease.

Case series on treatment of dependence to Kamini Vidrawan Ras with opioid substitution therapy.

Introduction: A cohort of clients was recognised attending an addiction medicine clinic with similar presentations of opioid dependence from use of a rarely known Ayurvedic medication in a specific ethnic community. This retrospective case series was completed to promote wider recognition and further understanding of dependence on Kamini Vidrawan Ras (Kamini).

Methods: A retrospective file audit of the electronic medical record for clients of an addiction medicine outpatient clinic with a history of dependent use of Kamini identified 12 clients meeting inclusion criteria.

Aboriginal communities need to be at the forefront of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

To ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are vaccinated it is essential to engage, work and consult with and listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The impact of telehealth on patient attendance and revenue within an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation during COVID-19.

Background And Objectives: Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) provide culturally appropriate medical services to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of telehealth on patient attendance and revenue within an ACCHO during COVID-19.

Method: This is a time-series study of general practitioner attendances at a regional Victorian ACCHO in two periods: March-June 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and March-June 2020 (during COVID-19).

Role of Aboriginal Health Practitioners in administering and increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates in a Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated communities throughout the world and has required rapid paradigm changes in the manner in which health care is administered. Previous health models and practices have been modified and changed at a rapid pace. This commentary provides the experiences of a regional Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation in a COVID-19 vaccination program led and managed by Aboriginal Health Practitioners.