Table 4 Critical information participants required for drug alerts (alert content)
Content elements | Information to include | Key findings |
|---|---|---|
Key contextual information about substance/s and harm/sa | ||
Context of alert | Alert date Date of sample/case Location of sample/case Data/information source | Must not identify individual cases Data/information source is critical for establishing credibility of alert information and alert source and relevance |
Substance characteristics | Substance class Common routes of administration, forms, dose Alternative drug names | Â |
Substance effects | Common experiential effects (desired) Undesired experiential effects | Undesired effects generally considered important by all participants, while desired effects were not considered relevant among UC workers |
Context of sample detected | Form (including images) Details of drug information and analysis ‘Sold as’ (if known) Fillers/adulterants (if known) | Images are important, wherever possible Caveats should be provided about the inevitable variability of substance form/appearance in unregulated drug markets |
Risk profiles | Warning signs and symptoms of toxicity At-risk populations Experiential effects that might indicate danger Signs and symptoms of toxicity | Â |
Recent impacts (evidence of harm) | Known harms (general) Quantifiable evidence of harm (e.g. hospitalisations, mortality) Other credible and relevant reports of harm | Must be relatable and realistic Must not identify individual cases Builds credibility of the alert |
Clinical management recommendations | ||
| Â | Characteristics of clinical presentations Potential drug interactions Best practice treatment pathways Complex or unique medical management strategies Post-acute care/discharge recommendations | Support assessment of presentations/ identification of differential diagnoses Experience from other clinical settings/ jurisdictions should be shared, where relevant |
Harm reduction advice | ||
| Â | Universal harm reduction advice Substance-specific harm reduction advice Recommended preventative actions How to recognise harm, respond and get help | Must be relevant to substance of concern Advice must be relevant, relatable, and achievable for lay people experiencing/witnessing adverse events |
Access to further information and services | ||
| Â | Substance-specific information (all audiences) AOD support helplines (people who use drugs) Clinical advisory services (practitioners) Archive of alert history and related information Links to online information | Context about services offered should be provided Services listed must be aware of alerts to ensure readiness to respond QR codes or hyperlinks are useful |