ArticleBMJ public health2025
Enhancing opportunities to reduce escalation to substance use disorders through early engagement: a retrospective observational data linkage study of primary and secondary care in Wales.
Article in BMJ public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Substance misuse (SM) remains a challenging public health concern despite substantial evidence from traditional research methods for effective interventions. Studies which used whole population linked data are scarce but may be useful in informing early identification and prevention of escalation. We examined the type and timing of healthcare service contacts in those presenting with SM-related issues in Wales to describe sociodemographic characteristics and quantify the frequency of pre-and-post index SM healthcare contacts as potential opportunities for preventative interventions. We defined the index as the first SM-related record in healthcare settings. Methods: We conducted a whole population cohort study on 168 774 persons aged at least 10 years whose index SM contact with health services was between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2019. We examined their records both prospectively and retrospectively for 2 years from the index SM event date. Results: Inpatient admission (36.0%) and primary care (30.0%) were the main points of first SM-related contact. Median age was 39 years; the majority were males (62.3%) of white ethnicity (71.0%). One in four lived in the most deprived areas. The majority (60.3%) had alcohol as the problem substance at baseline. Approximately 38.0% (63 520) of the cohort had at least a second SM-related event within 24 months postindex SM event, indicating potential missed opportunities for referral to relevant SM specialist treatment services. Inpatient admissions increased by 71.0% after the index SM date (ISMD) compared with pre-ISMD (84 237 and 49 327, respectively). Injury, poisoning and digestive disorders were the most frequent reasons for admissions. However, admissions relating to mental disorders more than tripled after the ISMD (8421 admissions from 2696 patients-a 212.0% increase). Similar increases were found in emergency and GP contacts. Around 1.0% had their first SM record captured at death. Conclusion: Individuals with SM records are frequent attendees to healthcare services, particularly after their index SM event. Healthcare contacts represent vital opportunities to engage those with SM issues early to reduce harm and potential escalation of use and refer to specialist treatment and support.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.