INVESTIGATIONS & DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT PLAN
INVESTIGATIONS & DIAGNOSIS
Assessment:
- ASSIST-Lite questionnaire: helps ID the risk of dependence
- Mouth swab tests
- Drug screening: urine levels
Detection windows:
- Cocaine: 12- 36hrs
- Opiates: 3 days
- Benzodiazepines: 7 days
- Methadone (single): 1-2 days
- Methadone (maintenance): 7-9 days
Additional tests to identify any complications of drug use:
| – FBC
– U&Es – LFTs – STI screening – Hepatitis B/C |
– HIV screening
– β-hCG (women of childbearing age) – TB screening – ECG – CXR |
TREATMENT PLAN
First-line:
- Patient education:
- Immunisations
- Safe sex practices
- Contraception
- Overdose prevention
- Blood-borne virus prevention
- Safe injection advice
- Nutrition guidance
- specialist referral is required: involve the combination of pharmacological & psychosocial treatments
- Pharmacological treatment:
- Opioid agonist substitution: methadone/buprenorphine
- Assisted withdrawal
- Antagonist maintenance: naltrexone