ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2023
Costing analysis of a point-of-care drug checking program in Rhode Island.
Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
12 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Interpol review of forensic drug chemistry, 2022-2025.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2026Review
- Navigating an unpredictable supply: lived experiences of xylazine exposure among people who use drugs.Harm reduction journal · 2026Article
- Drug checking services: barriers and facilitators to implementation by U.S. syringe services programs.Harm reduction journal · 2026Article
- Navigating an Unpredictable Supply: Lived Experiences of Xylazine Exposure Among People Who Use Drugs.Research square · 2026Article
- Point-Of-Care Drug-Checking: Assessing the Rhode Island Drug Supply Using FTIR Spectroscopy to Detect Fentanyl, Xylazine and Other Substances.Drug and alcohol review · 2025Article
- Interactions between cardiorespiratory effects of fentanyl and xylazine and their reversal in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats.The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics · 2025Article
- Detection of benzodiazepines in the unregulated drug supply using point of care and confirmatory drug checking technologies: A validation study.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2025Article
- An implementation science study of a campus-based drug checking service at a Canadian university.PloS one · 2025Article
- Beyond Fentanyl Test Strips: Investigating Other Urine Drug Test Strips for Drug Checking Applications.Forensic chemistry (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2024Article
- Pilot findings on the real-world performance of xylazine test strips for drug residue testing and the importance of secondary testing methods.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2024Article
- Xylazine awareness, desire, use and exposure: Preliminary findings from the Rhode Island community-based drug checking cohort study.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2024Article
- A composite vignette: xylazine, infectious complications and the importance of community-based drug checking services.Therapeutic advances in infectious diseaseArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDrug checking is a harm reduction strategy that provides greater awareness and information about the drug supply to the community. While fentanyl test strips are low-cost and available in most parts of the U.S., community-based organizations are considering using more sophisticated technologies, such as Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to test drugs. FTIR can detect multiple substances in a non-destructive manner that can be rapidly communicated to the program client by a trained technician, however implementation costs in community-based settings have not been assessed.
methodsWe conducted a costing analysis of a new pilot drug checking service that employed an FTIR spectrometer, fentanyl test strips and confirmatory testing in Rhode Island from January 2023-May 2023. We used microcosting methods to determine the overall cost during this period and cost per drug checked, reflecting realistic service capacity.
resultsAmong 101 drug samples that were voluntarily submitted and tested, 53% tested positive for fentanyl, 39% for cocaine, 9% for methamphetamine and 13% for xylazine, a powerful sedative. The total cost during this period was $71,044 and the cost per drug checked was $474, though sensitivity analyses indicated that the cost would rise to $78,058 - $83,058 or $544 - $593 for programs needing to pay for specialized training.
conclusionsThese findings demonstrate feasibility and inform the resources needed to scale-up drug checking services to reduce overdose risk.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.