ArticleJournal of addiction medicine
Fentanyl Test Strips for Harm Reduction: A Scoping Review.
Article in Journal of addiction medicine. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 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
17 citing papers in PubMed.
- Interpol review of forensic drug chemistry, 2022-2025.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2026Review
- Socioenvironmental disasters and the dialectics of overdose mortality.The International journal on drug policy · 2026Article
- Xylazine test strip utilization among pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder: A pilot study.Pregnancy (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2026Article
- Mechanisms of overdose from unintentional fentanyl use when intending to use stimulants: a qualitative study of people who use stimulants and avoid opioids.Research square · 2026Article
- Sociodemographic Characteristics and Drug Use Practices Associated with Fentanyl Use Frequency Among People Who Use Drugs in Rhode Island.Substance use & misuse · 2026Article
- Patient and Provider Perspectives on the Elimination of Urine Drug Testing in Office-Based Addiction Treatment.Substance use & addiction journal · 2026Article
- A descriptive study of drug overdose epidemics, overdose prevention efforts, and opioid settlement fund distribution across six states.The International journal on drug policy · 2026Article
- Enantiomeric Determination of Medetomidine in Street Drug Samples (August 2024-February 2025) and Implications for Immunoassay Test Strip Analysis.Drug testing and analysis · 2025Article
- Association of fentanyl test strip results and change in drug use behaviors: A multi-state, community-based observational study.The International journal on drug policy · 2025Observational
- Prospective cohort study of fentanyl test strip use and distribution in three states: the stay safe study protocol and implementation recommendations for researchers.Harm reduction journal · 2025Observational
- US Adolescents' and Young Adults' Sources for Prescription Opioid Misuse: Age, Substance Use, and Mental Health Differences.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2025Article
- Using RE-AIM to evaluate the implementation of a social marketing and free product distribution project for fentanyl and xylazine test strips in New York State.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- Fentanyl Test Strip Use and Overdose Risk Reduction Behaviors Among People Who Use Drugs.JAMA network open · 2025Observational
- Predictors of Awareness of Fentanyl Test Strips Among People Who Inject Drugs in Northeast Georgia.Substance use & misuse · 2025Article
- Door-to-door overdose harm reduction: an Illinois case study.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- Experiences of the changing illicit drug supply among racial and ethnic minoritized people in three US states: a qualitative study.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- Nitazene test strips: a laboratory evaluation.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
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
Abstract
backgroundHigh potency synthetic opioids like fentanyl have continued to replace or contaminate the supply of illicit drugs in North America, with fentanyl test strips (FTSs) often used as a harm reduction tool for overdose prevention. The available evidence to support FTS for harm reduction has yet to be summarized.
methodsA search of PubMed, Ovid Embase, and Web of Science was conducted in March 2023. A 2-stage review was conducted to screen by title and abstract and then by full text by 2 reviewers. Data were extracted from each study using a standardized template.
resultsA total of 91 articles were included, mostly from North America, predominantly reporting on FTS along with other harm reduction tools, and all conducted after 2016. No randomized controlled trials are reported. Robust evidence exists supporting the sensitivity and specificity of FTS, along with their acceptability and feasibility of use for people who use drugs and as a public health intervention. However, limited research is available on the efficacy of FTS as a harm reduction tool for behavior change, engagement in care, or overdose prevention.
conclusionsThough FTSs are highly sensitive and specific for point of care testing, further research is needed to assess the association of FTS use with overdose prevention. Differences in FTS efficacy likely exist between people who use opioids and nonopioid drugs, with additional investigation strongly needed. As drug testing with point-of-care immunoassays is embraced for nonfentanyl contaminants such as xylazine and benzodiazepines, increased investment in examining overdose prevention is necessary.
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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.