Extent Of Problematic Use Research Articles

Characterization of Problematic Alcohol Use Among Physicians: A Systematic Review

Problematic alcohol use in physicians poses a serious concern to physicians' health and their ability to provide care. Understanding the extent and characteristics of physicians with problematic alcohol use will help inform interventions. To estimate the extent of problematic alcohol use in physicians and how it differs by physician sex, age, medical specialty, and career stage (eg, residency vs practicing physician). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) 2020-compliant systematic review, searching Medline, Embase, and PsychInfo from January 2006 to March 2020. Search terms included Medical Subject Headings terms and keywords related to physicians as the population and problematic alcohol use as the primary outcome. The quality of studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We included articles where problematic alcohol use was measured by a validated tool (ie, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test [AUDIT], AUDIT Version C [AUDIT-C], or CAGE [Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, and Eye-opener] questionnaire) in practicing physicians (ie, residents, fellows, or staff physicians). Thirty-one studies involving 51 680 participants in 17 countries published between January 2006 and March 2020 were included. All study designs were cross-sectional, self-reported surveys. Problematic alcohol use varied widely regardless of measurement method (0 to 34% with AUDIT; 9% to 35% with AUDIT-C; 4% to 22% with CAGE). Reported problematic alcohol use increased over time from 16.3% in 2006 to 2010 to 26.8% in 2017 to 2020. The extent of problematic use by sex was examined in 19 studies, by age in 12 studies, by specialty in 7 studies, and by career stage in 5 studies. Seven of 19 studies (37%) identified that problematic alcohol use was more common in males than females. Based on the wide heterogeneity of methods for included studies, limited conclusions can be made on how problematic alcohol use varies based on physician age, sex, specialty, and career stage. Studies about problematic alcohol use in physicians demonstrate a high degree of heterogeneity in terms of methods of measurement, definitions for problematic alcohol use, and cohorts assessed. Most studies are primarily self-reported, precluding the ability to determine the true prevalence among the profession. Few studies provide relevant comparisons to aid in identifying key risk groups for targeted interventions.

Problematic Use of Social Media Platforms and Its Association With Depression in Pharmacy Students

Objectives. The objective of this investigation is to examine the association between depression and problematic use of social media among university students with a focus on the differential effect of studying pharmacy as compared to other disciplines.Methods. A cross sectional study was conducted using an online survey that recruited students from different disciplines at one university. Problematic use of social media was measured using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. Depression was assessed using the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).Results. Responses from 105 respondents out of 140 invited were analyzed. The average age of participants was 19.9 years (SD=2.1 years). Forty-seven participants (44.8%) reported depression. Depression was less prevalent in pharmacy students than in students of other disciplines (35.7% vs 62.9%, respectively). Social media addiction score (OR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.01-1.12) and pharmacy discipline (OR: 0.2; 95%: 0.02-0.66) were identified as independent predictors of depression. The extent of problematic use of social media was similar between pharmacy and non-pharmacy students (49.8 and 52.7, respectively).Conclusion Studying pharmacy may have a differential effect on the association between problematic use of social media and the development of depression among undergraduate university students.

Prescription de méthylphénidate chez l’enfant : importance des recommandations pour limiter la consommation problématique

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder appearing during childhood. Multimodal strategies have been developed to treat this disorder, some of them including medication. To this day in France, prescriptions are mainly based on methylphenidate. Ever since this drug was marketed in France in 1995, it has been subject to enhanced monitoring, mainly because of the risk of dependence, abuse, and misuse. The present study aims at assessing (1) whether the recommendations on methylphenidate use for children are being respected, (2) the extent of problematic use of methylphenidate, and (3) the impact of said recommendations being respected on the development of problematic consumption. We studied patients who were treated with methylphenidate in an academic child psychiatry department. We specifically developed a semistructured interview grid for this study. Both parents and children were interviewed. In almost three out of four cases, at least one recommendation had not been followed (52% of patients did not follow the recommendation of stopping use during weekends and holidays). We found an average of 1.6 (range, 0-5) recommendations that were not respected. In almost two out of three cases, the consumption of methylphenidate was problematic; for 40% of children, this meant the search for at least one effect other than the expected therapeutic effects, such as an intellectual, creative, or athletic boosting effect. Approximately one-third of parents also sought an effect other than therapeutic for their child. Conversely, if all of the prescription recommendations were followed, less problematic consumption was observed. Methylphenidate-based treatments must therefore be implemented after a specialist has evaluated the patient and be prescribed following the recommendations. In this context, the treatment's benefits are undeniable.