We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Feasibility and acceptability of an audio computer-assisted self-interview version of the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) in primary care patients
Suzanne E. Spear , Michele Shedlin , Brian Gilberti , Maya Fiellin , Jennifer McNeely
Substance Abuse
Vol. 37, Iss. 2, 2016

Patient perspectives on substance use screening in health settings have received little attention in the literature. This study is among the first to describe patient attitudes toward screening for substance use in primary care, and is the first in-depth exploration of patient views on the feasibility and acceptability of the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). The results of this study suggest that the audio computer assisted self-interview (ACASI) version of the ASSIST is acceptable to patients, and that a computer self-administered approach should be considered as a strategy for reducing barriers to screening in primary care. Computerized methods can facilitate the collection of patient reported information, and are congruent with trends toward integrating patient-reported information into electronic medical records and using online portals for patients to access their health information.

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Our newly released issue is now online —> April-June 2016.
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We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Exploring the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) as a possible measure of nicotine dependence
Melissa Mercincavage , Joshua M. Smyth , Steven A. Branstetter , Delwyn Catley
Substance Abuse
Vol. 37, Iss. 2, 2016

This manuscript describes a study examining associations between the time to first cigarette (TTFC), a single-item measure of physical nicotine dependence, and the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS), a brief measure of psychological dependence not yet extensively applied to nicotine research, among a sample of smokers participating in the baseline session of a cessation trial. Relations of TTFC and SDS with previous quitting behaviors and cognitive-affective variables were also examined. The current findings offer utility to clinicians in demonstrating that the SDS, in its typically administered 5-question format, is not appropriate for diagnosing nicotine dependence among smokers. Because the SDS appears to tap into non-physical components of dependence (e.g., loss of control) that relate to quitting motivation and affect, assessing nicotine dependence using only the SDS may fail to capture physical dependence and, further, may not reflect the same domains of addiction the SDS assesses in other drugs of abuse. It is possible that the three-item factor subscale assessing psychological dependence among smokers may be of utility to the cessation workforce if this factor is predictive of clinical outcomes such as cessation and relapse; however, this needs to be further explored. Nonetheless, using three SDS items in addition to TTFC may offer utility over using TTFC alone.

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Our newly released issue is now online —> April-June 2016.
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We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Buprenorphine-Naloxone Treatment in Physicians and Nurses With Opioid Dependence
María Dolores Braquehais , Christian Fadeuilhe , Anders Håkansson , Miquel Jordi Bel , María Cecilia Navarro , Carlos Roncero , Eugeni Bruguera , Miquel Casas
Substance Abuse
Vol. 36, Iss. 2, 2015

Opioid maintenance treatment in physicians returning to work has been debated and data on this type of treatment for opioid–dependence in health professionals are lacking. Although buprenorphine-naloxone treatment is well-documented in other groups of patients, this work is – to the best of the authors’ knowledge – the first description of cases where physicians or nurses with opioid-dependence are treated with buprenorphine-naloxone maintenance. Our findings suggest that maintenance treatment with buprenorphine-naloxone may be a feasible and an effective option in the treatment of health care professionals with opioid dependence. Its benefits on cognitive functioning compared to methadone should be considered in this specific professional group aiming to go back to work. Our preliminary experience suggests further systematic and controlled trials to prove the benefits of this treatment in this specific patient group.