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Tag: opioid overdose
03/23/2023

Spotting Opioid Overdoses Before They Happen, With AI

Article Excerpt: A Stony Brook University computer professor with an AI algorithm that detects substance abuse through language has refocused the impressive prediction technology on opioids – with startling results. Associate Computer Science Professor H. Andrew Schwartz is the senior author of a new study detailing the use of artificial intelligence to predict opioid mortalities. The work builds on Schwartz’s earlier success identifying high- and low-risk alcohol abuse via an AI application that interpreted language used in Facebook posts. This time, Schwartz and four other authors – including lead author Matthew Matero, an SBU computer-science student, and National Institute on Drug Abuse Data Scientist Salvatore Giorgi – hope to create some desperately needed “location-specific aid for the U.S. opioid crisis,” according to the abstract of an article published last week by the peer-reviewed open-access journal Npj Digital Medicine.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/6m4jwpd4

Article Source: Innovate LI

Posted in: Emerging Technologies, Methodologies & Analytics // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ;
03/06/2023

Opioid Prescription Decision Tool May Be Feasible Option to Curb Overprescribing

Article Excerpt: A new report shows that an app designed to help clinicians make better opioid-prescribing decisions following surgery can be a useful tool, although not all clinicians said they would continue using it. The study, published in BMJ Open, highlights one potential strategy to help curb the overprescription of opioids, which is believed to be a major factor in the current epidemic of opioid addiction in the United States. The study investigators said persistent postsurgical opioid use is a common problem that occurs in about 6% of opioid-naive patients who are given the drugs. In about 15% of cases, patients are discharged with opioid prescriptions that are inconsistent with their opioid usage while in the hospital.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/yhxbwnc2

Article Source: AJMC

Posted in: Emerging Technologies, Uncategorized // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ;
11/07/2022

Technology-Assisted Opioid Education for Out-of-Treatment Adults With Opioid Use Disorder

Toegel F, Novak MD, Rodewald AM, Leoutsakos JM, Silverman K & Holtyn AF. (2022). Technology-assisted opioid education for out-of-treatment adults with opioid use disorder. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 36(5), 555–564. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000769

This pre-post study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a technology-assisted education program for adults at higher risk of opioid overdose. The education program was self-paced and included three courses: 1) introduction to opioids, 2) preventing, detecting, and responding to an opioid overdose, and 3) opioid use disorder medications. Each course presented information and then prompted the user to complete a multiple-choice quiz to assess mastery of course material; incorrect answers produced feedback and participants were required to answer the question again to be able to advance to the next course. Forty adult participants with opioid use disorder who were not currently in treatment and who were living in Baltimore, Maryland were referred from community agencies and enrolled in the study. The education program took on average 91 minutes to complete and most participants completed the program in a single day. The mean score for the baseline test was 85% accuracy, indicating that participants already had prior knowledge of opioids, opioid overdoses, and medications. After completion of the program, participants showed significant improvement in test scores across all three courses (increase of 9.1%, 5.8%, and 10.1% respectively; p<.001); this was independent of education, employment, and poverty status. Participants with less than 12 years of education had significantly lower scores than those with 12 or more years of education. The computerized opioid education program demonstrated preliminary feasibility and efficacy in an uncontrolled trial among at-risk adults. Mobile technology allows for the potential to disseminate widely.

Posted in: Cutting Edge Literature // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ;