COVID-19 vaccine intentions in the United States, a social-ecological framework

Vaccine · 2021 · 188 citations

• Virology
• Geography
• Medicine

An assessment of the limits of detection, sensitivity and specificity of three devices for public health-based drug checking of fentanyl in street-acquired samples

International Journal of Drug Policy · 2020 · 207 citations

• Medicine
• Anesthesia
• Pharmacology

BACKGROUND: Fentanyl has caused rapid increases in US and Canadian overdose deaths, yet its presence in illicit drugs is often unknown to consumers. This study examined the validity in identifying the presence of fentanyl of three portable devices that could be used in providing drug checking services and drug supply surveillance: fentanyl test strips, a hand-held Raman Spectrometer, and a desktop Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer. METHODS: In Fall 2017, we first undertook an assessment of the limits of detection for fentanyl, then tested the three devices' sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing fentanyl in street-acquired drug samples. Utilizing test replicates of standard fentanyl reference material over a range of increasingly lower concentrations, we determined the lowest concentration reliably detected. To establish the sensitivity and specificity for fentanyl, 210 samples (106 fentanyl-positive, 104 fentanyl-negative) previously submitted by law enforcement entities to forensic laboratories in Baltimore, Maryland, and Providence, Rhode Island, were tested using the devices. All sample testing followed parallel and standardized protocols in the two labs. RESULTS: The lowest limit of detection (0.100 mcg/mL), false negative (3.7%), and false positive rate (9.6%) was found for fentanyl test strips, which also correctly detected two fentanyl analogs (acetyl fentanyl and furanyl fentanyl) alone or in the presence of another drug, in both powder and pill forms. While less sensitive and specific for fentanyl, the other devices conveyed additional relevant information including the percentage of fentanyl and presence of cutting agents and other drugs. CONCLUSION: Devices for fentanyl drug checking are available and valid. Drug checking services and drug supply surveillance should be considered and researched as part of public health responses to the opioid overdose crisis.

Situating the Continuum of Overdose Risk in the Social Determinants of Health: A New Conceptual Framework

Milbank Quarterly · 2020 · 163 citations

• Political Science
• Sociology
• Medicine

Policy Points This article reconceptualizes our understanding of the opioid epidemic and proposes six strategies that address the epidemic's social roots. In order to successfully reduce drug-related mortality over the long term, policymakers and public health leaders should develop partnerships with people who use drugs, incorporate harm reduction interventions, and reverse decades of drug criminalization policies. CONTEXT: Drug overdose is the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. Synthetic opioids, predominantly illicit fentanyl and its analogs, surpassed prescription opioids and heroin in associated mortality rates in 2016. Unfortunately, interventions fail to fully address the current wave of the opioid epidemic and often omit the voices of people with lived experiences regarding drug use. Every overdose death is a culmination of a long series of policy failures and lost opportunities for harm reduction. METHODS: In this article, we conducted a scoping review of the opioid literature to propose a novel framework designed to foreground social determinants more directly into our understanding of this national emergency. The "continuum of overdose risk" framework is our synthesis of the global evidence base and is grounded in contemporary theories, models, and policies that have been successfully applied both domestically and internationally. FINDINGS: De-escalating overdose risk in the long term will require scaling up innovative and comprehensive solutions that have been designed through partnerships with people who use drugs and are rooted in harm reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Without recognizing the full drug-use continuum and the role of social determinants, the current responses to drug overdose will continue to aggravate the problem they are trying to solve.