Natural language processing to identify substance misuse in the electronic health record

Abstract

Screening for unhealthy drug use among adults is the US Preventative Services Task Force standard for health-care providers.1 Screening can help identify those with substance use disorders who require referral to treatment, and also those at increased risk for harmful alcohol or drug use, who might still avoid experiencing a negative health sequela. As with many screening recommendations,2 substance use screening is challenging to perform consistently with the scarce time health-care providers have for patient care.