CQUniversity Australia - Warren Harlow

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Research Details

Thesis Name: To explore the Triage of people accessing Opioid Replacement Therapy

Thesis Abstract:

Opioid drug misuse can result in significant harm to individuals, their significant others and to society as a whole. The number of people dependent on opioids and out of treatment is substantive and this number is expected to increase. The treatment options for people affected by opioid dependence are limited. Of these, Opioid Replacement Therapy (ORT) is perceived as the most cost effective and beneficial option although immediate access to this treatment approach is being denied. The aim of this study is to investigate the process of triage as applied in ORT through examination of an ORT triage application and by exploring how clinical decisions influence the treatment phase. This project will be undertaken in two stages, with stage one utilising quantitative research with the review of clinical data from one ORT service provider through descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. This will allow consumer wait times for treatment to be determined and permit assessment of consumer demographics to identify how these influence treatment access to this service. Stage 2 involves qualitative research via interviewing clinicians to identify their decision making process in the management of consumer access and will be discovered by employing the use of grounded theory methodology. It is anticipated that the results of this project will inform policy makers of the issues involved in ORT treatment access and enable clinicians to reflect on their practice to identify if

Why my research is important/Impacts:

Heroin has been identified as one of the most harmful drugs in society when considering the effect it has on the consumer, the people connected to the consumer and the wider community (Nutt et al., 2010). It can result in deaths, injuries, and harm to others in society and produces significant costs through health care and crime management. Current figures on mortality and morbidity caused by opioid overdose are difficult to locate as these are not accessible via published recording systems (Gill, 2008, Australian Government, 2010). An analysis of the national mortality register is required to identify which deaths are attributed to opioid dependence and accidental poisoning (Hall, 1999). The most recent findings are from 1999, where 958 deaths were attributed to opioid overdose. Non-fatal overdoses are estimated to occur up to 21000 times every year and can result in permanent morbidity including brain injuries (Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, 2001). This high estimate is supported by Hall (1996) whose study identified that even with experienced heroin users, overdose is common. An additional risk with this population group is the prevalence of suicide which is estimated at more than eight times that of people without opioid dependency (Maloney et al., 2007a) The funds allocated to manage drug use in Australia are substantial. In 2002-2003, $561.4 million was spent on preventing, treating and reducing harm (Moore, 2005). The costs of hospitalisation for opioid related illnesses alone are significant, for example in 1999 -2000 the spending totalled 26.6 million (Riddle et al., 2007). Criminal activity has been consistently associated with people with an o

Funding/Scholarship: Research Higher Degree Scheme