ArticlePloS one2015
Screening and Treatment for Alcohol, Tobacco and Opioid Use Disorders: A Survey of Family Physicians across Ontario.
Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Guideline
- Screening for high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder: update of the 2023 national clinical practice guideline.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2026Guideline
- General dental practitioners' knowledge, attitudes and practice towards psychoactive substance use screening: A systematic review.Drug and alcohol review · 2025Pooled it
- Physician Reluctance to Intervene in Addiction: A Systematic Review.JAMA network open · 2024Pooled it
- Understanding Which Teenagers Benefit Most From a Brief Primary Care Substance Use Intervention.Pediatrics · 2019Trial
- Brief motivational interviewing intervention to reduce alcohol and marijuana use for at-risk adolescents in primary care.Journal of consulting and clinical psychology · 2018Trial
- Combining alcohol interventions with tobacco addictions treatment in primary care-the COMBAT study: a pragmatic cluster randomized trial.Implementation science : IS · 2017Trial
- Identifying Behavior Change Techniques for Digital Interventions Addressing Alcohol and Tobacco Co-Use: Findings From a Delphi Consensus Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Behaviour change techniques reported in intervention studies of alcohol and tobacco use: a rapid review.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 2025Review
- Recommending COVID-19 Vaccines to Patients: Practice and Concerns of Frontline Family Doctors.Vaccines · 2021Article
- Integrating a brief alcohol intervention with tobacco addiction treatment in primary care: qualitative study of health care practitioner perceptions.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2021Article
- Impact of a Web-Based Clinical Decision Support System to Assist Practitioners in Addressing Physical Activity and/or Healthy Eating for Smoking Cessation Treatment: Protocol for a Hybrid Type I Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2020Article
- Opioid Misuse and Dependence Screening Practices Prior to Surgery.The Journal of surgical research · 2020Article
- Clinical Workflow and Substance Use Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Data in the Electronic Health Records: A National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network Study.EGEMS (Washington, DC) · 2019Article
- Multicomorbidity of chronic diseases and substance use disorders and their association with hospitalization: Results from electronic health records data.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2018Article
- What does it mean when people say that they have received expressions of concern about their drinking or advice to cut down on the AUDIT scale?BMC medical research methodology · 2017Article
- DSM-5 substance use disorders among adult primary care patients: Results from a multisite study.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAs a primary point of contact within the health care system, family physicians are able to play a vital role in identifying individuals with substance use disorders and connecting them to the appropriate treatment. However, there is very little data available on whether family physicians are actively screening for and treating substance use disorders. The objective of the current survey was to assess whether family physicians in Ontario are screening for alcohol, opioid and tobacco use disorders, using validated tools and providing treatment.
methodsAn online survey consisting of a series of 38 primarily close-ended questions was circulated to family physicians in Ontario. Rates of screening for alcohol, opioid and tobacco dependence, use of validated tools for screening, providing treatment for dependent individuals and the current barriers to the prescription of pharmacotherapies for these drug dependences were assessed.
resultsThe use of validated screening tools was limited for all three substances. Screening by family physicians for the substance use disorders among adolescents was much lower than screening among adults. Pharmacotherapy was more commonly used as an intervention for tobacco dependence than for alcohol and opioid dependence. This was explained by the lack of knowledge among family physicians on the pharmacotherapies for alcohol and opioid dependence.
conclusionsFindings from the current study suggest there is a need for family physicians to integrate screening for substance use disorders using validated tools into their standard medical practice. Furthermore, there is a need for increased knowledge on pharmacotherapies for alcohol and opioid use disorders. It is important to note that the low response rate is a major limitation to this study. One possible reason for this low response rate may be a lack of interest and awareness among family physicians on the importance of screening and treatment of substance use disorders in Ontario.
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