CPD frameworks
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Reflection on a journal article
Stages of reflection on a situation
Reflection of a team, practice or group
External reference on reflection
Reflective practice in health care and how to reflect effectively
Koshy K, Limb C et al. International Journal of Surgical Oncology. 2017 2:e20
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Special interest: Addiction
Clinical reviews on addiction
Increased risk of attempted suicide in young problem gamblers
21 Feb 2021
Men and women, under the age of 25, with problem gambling are at increased risk of trying to take their own lives, a UK study has found.
Which treatments are effective for maintaining abstinence from alcohol in primary care?
25 Jan 2021
Acamprosate was the only intervention with evidence that it was better than placebo in maintaining alcohol abstinence for up to 12 months, following detoxification, in a network meta-analysis.
Engagement with HCV therapy linked to lower deaths from all causes in injecting drug users
27 Oct 2020
Engagement with hepatitis C treatment by people who inject drugs is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality and drug-related death, a study set in Scotland has found.
Patient safety incidents in opioid substitution therapy analysed
24 Jul 2020
Errors in prescribing, supervised or non-supervised dispensing, and monitoring and communication were responsible for patient safety incidents in opioid substitution treatment, a study from England and Wales has shown.
Increased risk of fatal overdose or suicide associated with stopping opioids
25 May 2020
Ceasing treatment with opioids is associated with an increased risk of death from overdose and suicide, an observational study from the United States has found.
Most deaths in patients on methadone are not drug related
23 Jan 2020
Non drug-related morbidities are the most common cause of death as methadone-treated opioid dependent patients age, a study from Scotland has found. The study authors used information from the Community Health Index and data on methadone prescriptions held within the Scottish National Prescribing Information System for 36,606 patients who had received one or more methadone prescriptions between 2009 and 2015.
Tramadol associated with longer use of opioids after surgery
24 Jun 2019
A study from the United States has found that patients prescribed tramadol for postoperative pain have a higher risk of prolonged opioid use relative to those given other short-acting opioids.
Alcohol use disorder affects offspring’s behaviour in adulthood
25 Mar 2019
Parental alcohol use disorder is associated with an increased likelihood of marriage to a spouse with alcohol use disorder, a Swedish population-based study has found. In particular, daughters of affected mothers were more likely to have an affected spouse.
Deaths associated with opioid overdose increase
22 Feb 2019
A study from Ontario, Canada, has found that prescribed, diverted and illicit opioids all play an important role in the recent increase in opioid-related deaths.
Childhood trauma raises risk of drug misuse later on
23 Jan 2019
Individuals who suffer abuse as children are more likely to use marijuana or cocaine later in life, a study from the United States has found.
Patients prescribed opioids for analgesia at risk of dependence
25 Jul 2018
A systematic review and meta-analysis has estimated that the incidence of iatrogenic opioid dependence or abuse in patients prescribed opioids for pain is almost 1 in 20.
Marked regional variations identified in primary care opioid prescribing
23 Apr 2018
Opioid prescribing rates are increasing and show notable geographical variations across England. They are highest in the North and in areas of social deprivation, a study on primary care prescribing has shown. Virtually all the low prescribing areas were in the south of England and nine of the ten highest prescribing areas were northern clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).
Benzodiazepines and Z-drugs are being widely used long term
23 Jan 2018
A UK primary care survey has found that many patients are taking benzodiazepines or Z-drugs, recommended for short-term use, for at least a year.
Are differing emotional responses to alcohol associated with choice of drink?
20 Dec 2017
Emotional responses to drinking appear to vary according to the type of drink imbibed and differ between men and women, an analysis of data from the Global Drug Survey (GDS) has found.
Mortality risk raised during induction with methadone in opioid substitution therapy
23 Nov 2017
Patients undergoing opioid substitution treatment have an increased mortality risk during the induction phase with methadone but not with buprenorphine, a meta-analysis has found. Mortality risk is also raised in the period immediately after leaving treatment with both drugs.
Gambling linked to mental health problems
22 Jun 2017
Patients with depression and those who drink at risky levels are more than twice as likely to report gambling problems, a UK primary care study has shown.
Benzodiazepine and opioid co-prescribing raises risk of opioid overdose
24 Apr 2017
Stopping concurrent benzodiazepine and opioid prescribing could reduce the risk of inpatient admissions for opioid overdose and attendance at emergency departments by 15%, a study from the US has found.
Drinking levels in young women are approaching those of men
15 Dec 2016
The traditional gender difference in alcohol misuse and alcohol-related harm, where men have been at much higher risk than women is changing, a recent study has confirmed.
Continuing in methadone treatment associated with reduced risk of death
23 May 2016
Risk of mortality from all causes increases following cessation of methadone substitution treatment, a study in Addiction has confirmed. The risk was highest during the first four weeks after stopping treatment.
Smoking cessation
Smokers’ dependence on cigarettes has decreased over the past decade
24 Nov 2020
Between 2008 and 2017 smokers appear to have become less dependent on cigarettes but also less likely to try to quit or cut down. For those who tried to quit, fewer used behavioural support and more used pharmacological support, a study has found.
Nausea may affect adherence to varenicline
24 Sep 2020
Nausea during the first few weeks of varenicline therapy may reduce adherence, a study from North America has found. The authors analysed data on 870 adults receiving varenicline in two smoking cessation trials conducted at multiple sites in Canada and the USA.
E-cigarette pilot study helps smokers quit
22 Jun 2020
More than a third of smokers who completed a pilot study of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid quit smoking.
Tailor smoking cessation advice to the patient
20 Dec 2019
Effectiveness of smoking cessation aids varies between different types of smokers, a survey-based UK study has found. The data presented in this large, representative sample may provide useful information for GPs and other treatment providers in tailoring quit smoking advice to individual patients.
Quitting smoking in pregnancy lowers risk of preterm birth
25 Nov 2019
Smoking cessation in pregnant women is associated with a reduced risk of preterm birth, a large study from the United States has shown. Information was obtained from live birth certificates issued between 2011 and 2017 as part of the US National Vital Statistics System. Overall, 25,233,503 pregnant women who delivered live neonates and had data recorded on pre-pregnancy and trimester-specific cigarette smoking frequency were included in the analysis.
Preset searches
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Smoking cessation
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Smokeless tobacco cessation: South Asian communities overview