Macdonald S, Cherpitel CJ, Stockwell T, Martin G, Ishiguro S, Vallance K, Brubacher J. Concordance of self-reported drug use and saliva drug tests in a sample of emergency department patients.
JOURNAL OF SUBSTANCE USE 2013;
19:147-151. [PMID:
25104914 DOI:
10.3109/14659891.2012.760010]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the concordance of self-reports of cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines, and the utility of these, with a saliva point of collection drug test, the DrugWipe 5+, in an emergency department (ED) setting.
METHODS
A random sample of people admitted to either of two emergency departments at hospitals in British Columbia, Canada were asked to participate in an interview on their substance use and provide a saliva test for detection of drugs.
ANALYSES
Concordance of self-reports and drug tests were calculated. Prior DrugWipe 5+ sensitivity and specificity estimates were compared against a gold standard of mass spectrometry and chromatography (MS/GC). This was used as a basis to assess the truthfulness of self-reports for each drug.
RESULTS
Of the 1584 patients approached 1190 agreed to participate, a response rate of 75.1%. For cannabis, among those who acknowledged use only 21.1% had a positive test and 2.1% of those who reported no use had a positive test. For cocaine and amphetamines respectively, 50.0% and 57.1% tested positive among those reporting use, while 2.1% and 1.3%, respectively reported no use and tested positive. Self-reports of cannabis and amphetamines use appear more truthful than self-reports of cocaine use.
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