Drugs Research in Scotland, Scoping Review: July 2016
Review of research being undertaken, or recently concluded, on drug use/misuse in Scotland.
Reducing drug death and harm
| Theme and sub-theme |
Title |
Purpose |
Methods |
Who by |
Start date / status |
Funding |
More info available & contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harms |
Analytical research on the effectiveness of services to prevent, diagnose and treat BBV in Scotland |
Use data collected as part of the Scottish Government's Sexual Health and BBV Framework |
Quantitative |
Glasgow Caledonian University, Researcher Prof Sharon Hutchinson |
Started 2015 Ongoing, completion due 2020 |
Funded by Health Protection Scotland, 2015-2020 |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Needle Exchange Surveillance Initiative ( NESI) |
Aims to measure and monitor the prevalence of the Hepatitis C virus and injecting risk behaviours among people who inject drugs in Scotland |
Quantitative |
UWS / Health Protection Scotland |
Started 2008 Ongoing |
Scottish Government |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Assessing the impact and cost-effectiveness of needle/ syringe provision on Hep C transmission among people who inject drugs |
Drug injecting and Hep C |
Quantitative analysis of pooled datasets and economic modelling |
GCU, Lead Researcher Dr Lucy Platt from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine with Prof Sharon Hutchinson |
2013 Ongoing, completion due 2016 |
NIHR |
Contact: |
| Harms |
An exploration of the ethical paradigm and effect of knowledge of Hepatitis C Virus infection status on risk behaviour in injecting drug users, Shetland: a qualitative study |
To explore the ethical dimension and effect of knowledge of Hepatitis C Virus status on risk taking behaviour in Injecting (heroin) drug users in the Shetland Islands |
Qualitative exploration |
NHS Shetland/Aberdeen University, PhD researcher Wendy Hatrick |
November 2015 |
NHS Shetland |
Contact: |
| Harms |
A review and investigation of international responses to street injecting |
To conduct a rapid review of international literature on responses to the problems associated with public injecting in other cities around the world |
Literature review |
McMillan Rome Ltd. Researcher Andrew Rome |
Started 03/15 Completed 05/15 |
Glasgow City Alcohol & Drugs Partnership |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Leg ulceration in young people who inject drugs |
To determine prevalence of leg ulceration within young drug users |
Sequential explanatory mixed methods |
Stirling University, PhD researcher Alison Coull |
Started 2006 Completed 2016 |
Smith and Nephew Foundation / Stirling University |
Coull, A. (2015) The role of intravenous drug use in venous leg ulceration. British Journal of Nursing, Tissue Viability Suppl, 24 November S1. Coull, A.F. Atherton, I. Taylor, A and Watterson, A.E. (2014) Prevalence of skin problems and leg ulceration in a sample of young injecting drug users. Harm Reduction Journal, 11:22, available at: http://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1477-7517-11-22 Contact: |
| Harms |
Foil provision and route transition Interventions |
Supplying foil to reduce injecting, incidence, prevalence & health related risks |
Service evaluation |
Glasgow University, MSc researcher MaryClare Madden |
Started 2016 Ongoing |
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Addiction Services |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Understanding the prevalence, motives and harms of New Psychoactive Substance ( NPS) use in Scotland |
Increase understanding of NPS use amongst vulnerable groups |
Mixed methods- qualitative interviews and survey of NPS users and staff |
Scottish Drugs Forum (Katy MacLeod) and Glasgow University (Lucy Pickering/ Maria Gannon) |
Started 6/2015 Ongoing, completion due Sept 2016 |
Scottish Government |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Use of Novel Psychoactive Substances ( NPS) by inpatients on general psychiatric wards |
NPS use mentioned in discharge letters - primary outcome measure All adult inpatients (18-65) discharged from general psychiatric wards between 1 st July and 31 st December 2014 |
Cross-sectional survey |
NHS Lothian, Jack Stanley, Daniel Mogford, Rebecca Lawrence and Stephen Lawrie |
Completed |
No specific grant |
Available at: http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/5/e009430.full.pdf+html (open access) Contact: |
| Harms |
Test for change - New Psychoactive Substances |
To gather information on NPS use and injecting patterns in Lothian in response to an increase in the injection of ethylphenidate |
Survey |
NHS Lothian, Researcher Alison Coull Specialist Nurse (Wound Care) |
Started 06/15 Completed 11/15 |
NHS Lothian |
Smith, L. Lafferty, C. Coull, A. and Shanley J. (2015) The experience of an increase in the injection of ethyphenidate in Lothian, April 2014 - March 2015. Report to SMD NHS Lothian. May 2015 Lafferty, C. Smith, L. Coull, A. and Shanley J. (2016) The experience of an increase in the injection of ethyphenidate in Lothian, April 2014 - March 2015. Scottish Medical Journal May 16, 2016, available at: http://scm.sagepub.com/content/early/2016/05/12/0036933016649871.full (not open access) Contact: |
| Harms |
The prevalence and harms of New Psychoactive Substances in Scotland |
Determine the prevalence of psychoactive substances |
Literature review, analysis of survey data, interviews with key stakeholders |
SGSSS Internship, Researcher Allan Gillies |
Started 08/14 Completed 12/14 |
Scottish Government |
Gillies, Allan, with contributions from Wallace, Isla, (2015) Closing Evidence Gaps on the Prevalence and Harms of New Psychoactive Substances in Scotland, Justice Analytical Services, Scottish Government. Available at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Research/by-topic/crime-and-justice/publications/prevnewNPS Gillies, Allan (2015), 'Mapping Current and Potential Sources of Routine Data Capture on New Psychoactive Substances in Scotland', Justice Analytical Services, Scottish Government Available at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Research/by-topic/crime-and-justice/publications/psysubmap Contact: |
| Harms |
Investigating the prevalence of New Psychoactive Substances use in the forensic psychiatry population of the West of Scotland |
Expand knowledge in this area |
Anonymised screening of urine samples |
NHS GGC, Researcher Dr Richard Stevenson |
2015 Ongoing, completion due 06/16 |
Scottish Government |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Prolonged or problematic iatrogenic opioid use following surgery |
Assessment of development of problematic opioid use and development of predictive model |
Cohort study |
Dundee University, Dr Brian Kidd, Dr Keith Matthews & Dr Craig Heath ( NHS Lanarkshire) |
Started 12/15 Ongoing, completion due end of 2017 |
Indivior |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Non-prescription medicine ( NPM) misuse, abuse and dependence in the UK |
To determine the prevalence of non-prescription medicine misuse, abuse and dependence in the UK and identify the barriers and enablers to seeking, and providing, treatment for NPM dependence |
Mixed methods |
Aberdeen University, PhD researcher Niamh Fingleton |
Started 01/10/12 Ongoing, completion due 30/06/16 |
Society for the Study of Addiction ( PhD studentship) |
Fingleton, N., Watson, MC., Duncan, EM. & Matheson, C. (2016). Non-prescription medicine misuse, abuse and dependence: a cross-sectional survey of the UK general population. Journal of Public Health DOI: 10.1093/PUBMED/FDV204 available at: http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/01/19/pubmed.fdv204.long (full text open access) Contact: |
| Harms |
Prevalence of dependence on prescription opiate analgesics |
To determine prevalence across the UK GP population and conduct an economic analysis |
Quantitative |
Independent Research Company, Researcher Dr Catriona Matheson |
Started 06/16 Ongoing, 03/17 |
University of Sheffield and Indivior |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Systematic review of tools to assess risk of analgesic misuse |
Exploratory, Student project ( MSc) |
Systematic review |
NHS Lothian Substance Misuse Directorate, Researcher Dr Rebecca Lawrence, Supervisor Dr Lesley Colvin |
Current, completion date not known |
N/A |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Anabolic steroid use - internet research project |
MSc project |
Mixed methods |
NHS Lothian Substance Misuse Directorate, Researcher Dr Joe Tay with Glasgow University ( STRADA) |
Ongoing, completion due Sept 2016 |
N/A |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Cardiac risk and methadone treatment |
Using informatics to explore links between underlying cardiac risk and drug death and then screening patients in prospective cohort study |
Prospective cohort study |
Dundee University, Dr Brian Kidd, Dr Keith Matthews (with Profs. Chim Lang, Anna Choy and Alan Struthers) |
About to start |
Not yet in place |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Death in comorbid epilepsy and opiate dependence |
Aim to clarify incidence of death & relative risk in Scottish cohort using informatics of deaths in patients experiencing comorbid epilepsy/ opiate dependence |
Population-based study |
Dundee University, Dr Brian Kidd, Dr Craig Health, Dr Keith Matthews, NHS Tayside |
Start date 5/16 |
TENOVUS |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Informatics-based study of death associated with hazardous activities: comparing three cohorts - suicides, drug deaths and others |
Aim to determine feasibility of using existing data - from multiple sources - to predict death Suicides, drug deaths and others |
a. Systematic review of the literature b. Retrospective cohort study of three cohorts over 10 years. c. Predictive modelling using regression analyses |
Dundee University, Dr Brian Kidd and Dr Keith Matthews |
Started 11/14 Ongoing, completion due 11/17 |
Scottish Government Health Department and TENOVUS |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Informatics-based development of the study above |
Compare clinical outcomes/cost effectiveness of buprenorphine/ methadone in Fife cohort over 2 years |
Two year prospective cohort study comparing already identified cohorts (see above) |
Dundee University, Dr Brian Kidd, Dr Alex Baldacchino, Dr Keith Matthews |
Started 12/15 Ongoing, completion due end 2017 |
Indivior |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Age-period-cohort ( APC) analyses: drugs paper |
Age-period-cohort analysis of Scottish deaths for specific causes, undertaken as part of testing of various hypotheses proposed to explain Scotland's 'excess' mortality. Drug-related deaths is one of the causes of deaths being looked at |
Descriptive analyses, Shaded Contour Plots (lexis heatmaps), regression analysis, specifically intrinsic estimator APC analysis |
NHS Health Scotland, Jane Parkinson with coauthors Jon Minton, Jim Lewsey and Janet Bouttell at Glasgow University and Gerry McCartney, NHS Health Scotland |
April 2016 |
NHS Health Scotland core funding |
Results will be written up for submission as a journal paper Contact: |
| Harms |
Assessment of Northern European countries with high or increasing rates of drug-induced deaths |
Relative assessment of drug-induced deaths Comparison between countries |
Comparative study |
Health Protection Scotland, Researcher Andrew McAuley |
Started 2016 Ongoing |
EMCDDA |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Investigating the role of benzodiazepines and z-hypnotics in drug-related mortality: A systematic review |
Investigating role of specific substances in drug related mortality |
Systematic review |
NHS Health Scotland, Andrew McAuley (supervising PhD intern Christopher Johnson) |
Started 2015 Completed 2016 |
NHS Health Scotland |
Report on ScotPHO website: http://www.scotpho.org.uk/publications/reports-and-papers/1803-investigating-the-role-of-benzodiazepines-in-drug-related-mortality Contact: |
| Harms |
A community approach to reducing drug-related deaths |
Expand knowledge in this area |
Action research |
Stirling University, PhD researcher Andrew Rome |
About to start |
TBC |
Contact: |
| Harms |
The role of concurrent prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines in drug-related death |
Retrospective case-control study examining 12-month prescribing predictors of drug-related death |
Informatics data linkage |
Dundee University, Researcher Cassie Higgins |
Ongoing - completion anticipated January 2011 |
TENOVUS |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Evaluating the impact of a national naloxone programme on ambulance attendance at overdose incidents: an interrupted time series analysis |
Add to national naloxone programme |
Quantitative |
Health Protection Scotland, Researcher Andrew McAuley |
Started 2016 Ongoing |
NHS Health Scotland |
Contact: |
| Harms |
Lived experiences of take-home naloxone |
Add to National naloxone programme |
Interpretative Phenomen-ological Analysis |
University of West of Scotland ( UWS), PhD researcher Andrew McAuley |
Started 2009 Ongoing, completion due 2016 |
UWS |
Contact: |
| Harms |
The chemical and physical charact-erisation of illicit tablets and development of a statistical model to identify populations within the illegal supply chain |
Aims to provide drug intelligence information that could assist the police in determining links between different seizures. This will be attempted through the measurement of certain physical and chemical characteristics of illicit tablets and the extraction of information from the data set to identify different populations |
Quantitative |
Abertay University, PhD researcher Prof David Bremner |
Started 1/2014 Ongoing, completion due 6/17 |
Abertay, R-Lincs Project Involves collaboration with Police Scotland, The Crown Office and Robert Gordon University |
S. Bibi, D. H. Bremner, M. Macdougall-Heasman, R. Reid, K. Simpson, A. Tough, S. Waddell, I. J. Stewart and K. H. Matthews. (2015). A preliminary investigation to group disparate batches of licit and illicit diazepam tablets using differential scanning calorimetry DOI:10.1039/C5AY01711D Anal. Methods 7, 8597-8604, available at: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2015/ay/c5ay01711d#!divAbstract (open access) This work has been presented at the Scottish Student Forensic Research Symposium, the European Academy of Forensic Science Conference in Prague and International Society of Addiction Medicine Congress in 2015. Contact: |
Contact
Email: Michael Crook, Michael.Crook@gov.scot
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