ArticleBMJ open2022
Evaluating the association between urine drug screening frequency and retention in opioid agonist treatment in Ontario, Canada: a retrospective cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Do we need urine drug screens in opioid addiction treatment: An observational study on self-report versus urine drug screens.Addictive behaviors reports · 2025Article
- Exploring the role of urine drug screening in opioid agonist therapy.The Medical journal of Australia · 2025Article
- Canadian Addiction Treatment Centre (CATC) opioid agonist treatment cohort in Ontario, Canada.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Association of random and observed urine drug screening with long-term retention in opioid treatment programs.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2024Article
- Urine Drug Screening in a Telehealth Setting for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder.JAMA health forum · 2023Observational
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.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate how urine drug screening (UDS) frequency is associated with retention in opioid agonist treatment (OAT).
methodsData for this retrospective cohort study of 55 921 adults in OAT in Ontario, Canada, were derived from administrative sources between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2015. All patient information was linked anonymously across databases using encrypted health card numbers. Descriptive statistics were calculated for comparing UDS frequency groups using standardised differences (d) where d less than 10% indicated a statistically significant difference. A logistic regression model was then used to calculate ORs adjusting for baseline covariates, including sex, age, location of residence, income quintile, mental disorders, HIV status and deep tissue infections.
resultsOver 70% of the cohort had four or more UDS tests per month (weekly or more UDS). Significant associations were observed between UDS frequency and 1-year treatment retention in OAT biweekly (adjusted OR (aOR)=3.20, 95% CI 2.75 to 3.75); weekly UDS (aOR=6.86, 95% CI 5.88 to 8.00) and more than weekly (aOR=8.03, 95% CI 6.87 to 9.38) using the monthly or less groups as the reference.
conclusionThis study identified an association between weekly UDS and 1-year treatment retention in OAT. There is an active discussion within Canada about the utility of UDS. The lack of evidence for the impact of UDS on retention has left it open to some to argue they simply provide a barrier to patient engagement. Therefore, it is timely of this study to demonstrate that more frequent urine testing is not associated with a reduction in treatment retention.
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