Exploring mortality among drug treatment clients: The relationship between treatment type and mortality

© 2017 Aims Studies consistently identify substance treatment populations as more likely to die prematurely compared with age-matched general population, with mortality risk higher out-of-treatment than in-treatment. While opioid-using pharmacotherapy cohorts have been studied extensively, less evid...

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Main Authors: Lloyd, B., Zahnow, R., Barratt, Monica, Best, D., Lubman, D., Ferris, J.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2017
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/57697
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author Lloyd, B.
Zahnow, R.
Barratt, Monica
Best, D.
Lubman, D.
Ferris, J.
author_facet Lloyd, B.
Zahnow, R.
Barratt, Monica
Best, D.
Lubman, D.
Ferris, J.
author_sort Lloyd, B.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2017 Aims Studies consistently identify substance treatment populations as more likely to die prematurely compared with age-matched general population, with mortality risk higher out-of-treatment than in-treatment. While opioid-using pharmacotherapy cohorts have been studied extensively, less evidence exists regarding effects of other treatment types, and clients in treatment for other drugs. This paper examines mortality during and following treatment across treatment modalities. Methods A retrospective seven-year cohort was utilised to examine mortality during and in the two years following treatment among clients from Victoria, Australia, recorded on the Alcohol and Drug Information Service database by linking with National Death Index. 18,686 clients over a 12-month period were included. Crude (CMRs) and standardised mortality rates (SMRs) were analysed in terms of treatment modality, and time in or out of treatment. Results Higher risk of premature death was associated with residential withdrawal as the last type of treatment engagement, while mortality following counselling was significantly lower than all other treatment types in the year post-treatment. Both CMRs and SMRs were significantly higher in-treatment than post-treatment. Conclusion Better understanding of factors contributing to elevated mortality risk for clients engaged in, and following treatment, is needed to ensure that treatment systems provide optimal outcomes during and after treatment.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-576972017-11-20T08:58:16Z Exploring mortality among drug treatment clients: The relationship between treatment type and mortality Lloyd, B. Zahnow, R. Barratt, Monica Best, D. Lubman, D. Ferris, J. © 2017 Aims Studies consistently identify substance treatment populations as more likely to die prematurely compared with age-matched general population, with mortality risk higher out-of-treatment than in-treatment. While opioid-using pharmacotherapy cohorts have been studied extensively, less evidence exists regarding effects of other treatment types, and clients in treatment for other drugs. This paper examines mortality during and following treatment across treatment modalities. Methods A retrospective seven-year cohort was utilised to examine mortality during and in the two years following treatment among clients from Victoria, Australia, recorded on the Alcohol and Drug Information Service database by linking with National Death Index. 18,686 clients over a 12-month period were included. Crude (CMRs) and standardised mortality rates (SMRs) were analysed in terms of treatment modality, and time in or out of treatment. Results Higher risk of premature death was associated with residential withdrawal as the last type of treatment engagement, while mortality following counselling was significantly lower than all other treatment types in the year post-treatment. Both CMRs and SMRs were significantly higher in-treatment than post-treatment. Conclusion Better understanding of factors contributing to elevated mortality risk for clients engaged in, and following treatment, is needed to ensure that treatment systems provide optimal outcomes during and after treatment. 2017 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/57697 10.1016/j.jsat.2017.09.001 restricted
spellingShingle Lloyd, B.
Zahnow, R.
Barratt, Monica
Best, D.
Lubman, D.
Ferris, J.
Exploring mortality among drug treatment clients: The relationship between treatment type and mortality
title Exploring mortality among drug treatment clients: The relationship between treatment type and mortality
title_full Exploring mortality among drug treatment clients: The relationship between treatment type and mortality
title_fullStr Exploring mortality among drug treatment clients: The relationship between treatment type and mortality
title_full_unstemmed Exploring mortality among drug treatment clients: The relationship between treatment type and mortality
title_short Exploring mortality among drug treatment clients: The relationship between treatment type and mortality
title_sort exploring mortality among drug treatment clients: the relationship between treatment type and mortality
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/57697