responses
Drug-related medical hospital admissions during and after a period of head shop expansion
Smyth BP, O’Farrell A and Cullen W (2020) European Journal of Public Health, Early online.
https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/33275/
Government responded to public protests about head shops [selling new psychoactive substances (NPS)] by enacting legislation in May and August 2010 to end this trade. Many academics argued that such actions would prove futile. We sought to determine if changes in head shop activity coincided with changes in drug-related hospital admissions (DRHA).
Cessation of NPS sale by head shops coincided with a reversal in the upward trend of emergency hospital admissions related to drugs. Although correlation does not confirm causation, legislation which successfully curtails the commercial sale of NPS may result in reduced hospitalizations.
HepCare Ireland — a service innovation project
Connolly SP, Avramovic G, Cullen W, et al. (2020) Irish Journal of Medical Science, Early online.
https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/32578/
This paper aims to summarize the methods and present the aggregate cascade of care figures for the Irish components of HepCare. ‘HepCare Ireland’ contained five integrated work packages: HepCheck, HepLink, HepFriend, HepEd and HepCost.
In HepCheck, HepLink, HepEd and HepFriend, we demonstrate a series of interventions to improve Irish HCV [hepatitis C virus] outcomes. Our findings highlight the benefits of multilevel interventions in HCV care.
Drugnet Ireland is the quarterly newsletter of Ireland’s focal point for the EMCDDA and is produced in collaboration with the HRB National Drugs Library. Drugnet Ireland is published by the Health Research Board.
Managing editor: Brian Galvin
Copy-editing: O’Hanlon Media
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