Assessing the prevalence of nonmedical prescription opioid use in the general Canadian population: Methodological issues and questions

Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

Volumn 55, Issue 9, 2010, Pages 606-609

  Fischer, Benedikt ^a,b   Nakamura, Nadine ^a   Ialomiteanu, Anca ^b   Boak, Angela ^b   Rehm, Jürgen ^c,d,e  

^a SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

^b CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH   (Canada)

^c UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO   (Canada)

^d UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO   (Canada)

^e DRESDEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY   (Germany)

Author keywords

Canada; General population; Methodology; Morbidity; Nonmedical drug use; Pain care; Prescription opioids; Substance use; Survey

Indexed keywords

OPIATE;

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; ARTICLE; CANADA; DRUG USE; FEMALE; GENDER; HUMAN; MAJOR CLINICAL STUDY; MALE; OPIATE ADDICTION; PRESCRIPTION; SUBSTANCE ABUSE;

EID: 77956931728     PISSN: 07067437     EISSN: 14970015     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/070674371005500909     Document Type: Article

References (24)

1. Compton WM, Volkow ND. Major increases in opioid analgesic abuse in the United States: concerns and strategies. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2006;81(2):103-107.
2. Fischer B, Gittins J, Rehm J. Characterizing the 'awakening elephant': prescription opioid misuse in North America: epidemiology, harms, interventions. Contemp Drug Probl. 2008;35(2/3):397-426.
3. Zacny J, Bigelow G, Compton P, et al. College on problems of drug dependence taskforce on prescription opioid non-medical use and abuse: position statement. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2003;69(3):215-232.
4. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Results from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: national findings. Rockville (MD): SAMHSA Office of Applied Studies; 2004.
5. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Results from the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: national findings. Rockville (MD): SAMHSA Office of Applied Studies; 2009.
6. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: main findings 1997. Rockville (MD): SAMHSA Office of Applied Studies; 1999.
7. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Drug Abuse Warning Network 2006: national estimates of drug-related emergency department visits. Rockville (MD): SAMHSA Office of Applied Studies; 2008.
8. Paulozzi L, Budnitz D, Xi Y. Increasing deaths from opioid analgesics in the United States. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2006;15(9):618-627. (Pubitemid 44404658)
9. Popova S, Rehm J, Fischer B. An overview of illegal opioid use and health services utilization in Canada. Public Health. 2006;120(4):320-328.
10. Novak S, Nemeth W, Lawson K. Trends in medical use and abuse of sustained-release opioid analgesics: a revisit. Pain Med. 2004;5(1):59-65.
11. International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). Narcotic drugs: estimated world requirements for 2009. Vienna (AT): International Narcotics Control Board; 2008.
12. Dhalla I, Mamdani M, Sivilotti M, et al. Prescribing of opioid analgesics and related mortality before and after the introduction of long-acting oxycodone. CMAJ. 2009;181(12):891-896.
13. Fischer B, Rehm J. Deaths related to the use of prescription opioids. CMAJ. 2009;181(12):881-882.
14. Fischer B, Nakamura N, Rush B, et al. Changes in characteristics of admissions to treatment related to problematic prescription opiod use in Ontario, 2004-2009. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2010;109(1-3):257-260.
15. Health Canada. Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey 2008: microdata user guide. Ottawa (ON): Health Canada; 2009.
16. Health Canada. The Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey (CADUMS): summary of results for 2008 [Internet]. Ottawa (ON): Health Canada; 2008 [cited 2009 Dec 10]. Available from: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hc-ps/drugs- drogues/stat/-2008/summary-sommaire-eng.php.
17. Sudman S, Bradburn NM, Schwarz N. Thinking about answers: the application of cognitive processes to survey methodology. San Francisco (CA): Jossey-Bass; 1996.
18. Del Boca F, Noll JA. Truth or consequences: the validity of self-report data in health services research on addictions. Addiction. 2000;95(Suppl 3):S347-S360.
19. Zhao J, Stockwell T, Macdonald A. Non-response bias in alcohol and drug population surveys. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2009;28(6):648-657.
20. Health Canada. National thematic workshop on preventing the problematic use of psychotropic pharmaceutics key messages report. Ottawa (ON): Health Canada; 2006.
21. Fischer B, Rehm J. Nonmedical use of prescription opioids: furthering a meaningful research agenda. J Pain. 2008;9(6):490-493.
22. Collins D. Pretesting survey instruments: an overview of cognitive methods. Qual Life Res. 2003;12(3):229-238.
23. Presser S, Rothgeb JM, Couper MP, et al. Methods for testing and evaluating survey questions. New York (NY): John Wiley & Sons, Ltd; 2004.
24. Fischer B, Rehm J, Goldman B, et al. Non-medical use of prescription opioids and public health in Canada: an urgent call for research and interventions development. Can J Public Health. 2008;99(3):182-184.