A national survey of nurses working in the management of illicit drug misuse in Scotland

Citation

Cameron IM, Matheson C, Bond CM, van Teijlingen E, Wardell FA, Cronkshaw G & Lawrie T (2006) A national survey of nurses working in the management of illicit drug misuse in Scotland. International Journal of Drug Policy, 17 (5), pp. 442-446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2006.06.002

Abstract
Scotland has a population of approximately 5 million (General Register for Scotland, 2004). Its healthcare provision is administratively divided into 15 National Health Service (NHS) areas. The overwhelming majority of the population live in and around the four major Scottish cities (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow). The national prevalence level of problem drug misuse (opiates and benzodiazepines) has been estimated to be 1.84% of 15–54 years old (Hay, Gannon, McKeganey, Hutchinson, & Goldberg, 2005). In Scotland, the demand for drug misuse treatment has increased in recent decades. The Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD), which systematically records information on individuals presenting at treatment services across Scotland, has shown that the most commonly reported drug type used by those seeking treatment is an opiate. Among those seeking treatment for opiate dependence, the use of other drugs is common, in particular diazepam (39%) and cannabis (23%). The proportion of those seeking treatment reporting cocaine and/or crack cocaine misuse is relatively small but has increased steadily (1998/1999–2002/2003) from 2% to 7% for cocaine and 1% to 3% for crack (Information and Statistics Division, 2004)

Journal
International Journal of Drug Policy: Volume 17, Issue 5

People

Professor Catriona Matheson

Professor in Substance Use, Faculty of Social Sciences