Mortality during and after specialist alcohol and other drug treatment: Variation in rates according to principal drug of concern and treatment modality

Alys Havard; Nicola Jones; Chrianna Bharat; Natasa Gisev; Sallie-Anne Pearson; Anthony Shakeshaft; Michael Farrell; Louisa Degenhardt

doi:10.1111/dar.13669

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Mortality during and after specialist alcohol and other drug treatment: Variation in rates according to principal drug of concern and treatment modality

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Mortality during and after specialist alcohol and other drug treatment: Variation in rates according to principal drug of concern and treatment modality

Alys Havard, Nicola Jones, Chrianna Bharat, Natasa Gisev, Sallie-Anne Pearson, Anthony Shakeshaft, Michael Farrell and Louisa Degenhardt

Drug and Alcohol Review, Vol.42(6), pp.1461-1471

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13669

PMID: 37186492

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Abstract

data linkage

drug

mortality

treatment

Introduction For people accessing treatment for problems with drugs other than opioids, little is known about the relationship between treatment and mortality risk, nor how mortality risk varies across treatment modalities. We addressed these evidence gaps by determining mortality rates during and after treatment for people accessing a range of treatment modalities for several drugs of concern. Methods We conducted a cohort study using linked data on publicly funded specialist alcohol or other drug treatment service use and mortality for people receiving treatment in New South Wales between January 2012 and December 2018. We calculated and compared during-treatment and post-treatment crude mortality rates and age- and sex-standardised mortality rates, separately for each principal drug of concern and modality. Results Over the study period, 45,026 people accessed treatment for problems with alcohol, 26,407 for amphetamine-type stimulants, 23,047 for cannabinoids and 21,556 for opioids. People treated for alcohol or opioid problems had higher crude mortality rates (1.48, 1.91, 1.09 per 100 person years, respectively) than those with problems with amphetamine-type stimulants or cannabinoids (0.46, 0.30 per 100 person years, respectively). Mortality rates differed according to treatment status and modality only among people with alcohol or opioid problems. Discussion and Conclusions The observed variation in mortality rates indicates there is scope to reduce mortality among people accessing treatment with alcohol or opioid problems. Future research on mortality among people accessing drug and alcohol treatment should account for the variation in mortality by drug of concern and treatment modality.

Details

Title: Mortality during and after specialist alcohol and other drug treatment: Variation in rates according to principal drug of concern and treatment modality
Authors: Alys Havard (Corresponding Author) - UNSW Sydney
Nicola Jones - UNSW Sydney
Chrianna Bharat - UNSW Sydney
Natasa Gisev - UNSW Sydney
Sallie-Anne Pearson - UNSW Sydney
Anthony Shakeshaft - UNSW Sydney
Michael Farrell - UNSW Sydney
Louisa Degenhardt - UNSW Sydney
Publication details: Drug and Alcohol Review, Vol.42(6), pp.1461-1471
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Date published: 2023
DOI: 10.1111/dar.13669
ISSN: 1465-3362
PMID: 37186492
Copyright note: © 2023 The Authors. Drug and Alcohol Review published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Grant note: Chrianna BharatB is supported by National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre and UNSW Scientia PhD scholarships. Natasa Gisev is supported by a UNSW Scientia Fellowship. Louisa Degenhardt is supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Research Fellowship. The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Health under the Drug and Alcohol Program.
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Psychology
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991241463602621
Output Type: Journal article

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