ArticleBMC geriatrics2019
The Severity of Dependence Scale detects medication misuse and dependence among hospitalized older patients.
Article in BMC geriatrics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 13 papers.
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.
Medication Misuse and Dependence in Elderly Patients
Brief Intervention for Reducing Prolonged Use of Sleep Medication Among Elderly
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Brief intervention for inappropriate z-hypnotics use in older adults: a before and after intervention study in primary care.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Trial
- A brief intervention to discontinue inappropriate z-hypnotics use by older patients in primary care: a randomised controlled trial.BMC primary care · 2026Trial
- Brief Intervention for Discontinuing Inappropriate Z-Hypnotic Use Among Older Patients in Primary Care: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial With a Single Crossover.JMIR research protocols · 2026Trial
- The long-term effectiveness of the anti-obesity medication phentermine (LEAP) trial: Rationale, design, and baseline characteristics.Contemporary clinical trials · 2026Article
- Initial validation of the expectancies for Benzodiazepine Analgesia Scale.Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology · 2024Article
- Observational
- Brief Intervention as a Method to Reduce Z-Hypnotic Use by Older Adults: Feasibility Case Series.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Bariatric surgery patients in AUD treatment in Norway-an exploratory cross-sectional study.Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire) · 2024Observational
- Benzodiazepine Use and Dependence in Relation to Chronic Pain Intensity and Pain Catastrophizing.The journal of pain · 2023Article
- The Association Between Regular Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms Among Patients in Treatment of Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders.Substance abuse : research and treatment · 2023Article
- Sex-specific factors associated with lifetime suicide attempt among patients with alcohol use disorders.BJPsych open · 2022Article
- Article
- Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn older patients, timely recognition and treatment of medication misuse and dependence are crucial to secure medication safety and to avoid increasing health expenditure. Nonetheless, the detection of this condition remains challenging due to the paucity of screening instruments validated for older people. This study assesses diagnostic accuracy, reliability, validity and the factor structure of the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) in detecting medication misuse and dependence among hospitalized older patients, focusing on prescribed central nervous system depressants (CNSDs): opioid analgesics, benzodiazepines and z-hypnotics.
methods246 adults aged 65-90 were recruited consecutively from somatic departments of the Akershus University Hospital, Norway. Among these, 100 patients were identified as prolonged users of CNSDs. Diagnostic accuracy and validity of the SDS were assessed using DSM-IV criteria for substance abuse and dependence as the reference standard. We also performed an exploratory factor analysis and assessment of internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha.
resultsThe area under the ROC curve was 0.86 (95%CI = 0.79-0.93; p < 0.001). A score of 5.5 was determined as the optimal cutoff for detecting CNSD misuse and dependence among older patients. Cronbach's alpha obtained was satisfactory (α = 0.73). There was a significant positive correlation between the SDS score and DSM-IV criteria for substance abuse and dependence (Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.61, p < 0.001). The uni-dimensionality of the SDS was documented.
conclusionsThe SDS is reliable, valid and capable of detecting medication misuse and dependence among hospitalized older patients, with good diagnostic performance. The scale thus holds promise for use in both clinical and research contexts.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03162081 . Registered 3 May 2017.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.