Residents’ Knowledge regarding Recreational Drug Screening Immunoassays at a Swiss Hospital Group

Introduction. In case of suspected acute recreational drug toxicity, immunoassays are commonly used as diagnostic tools. Although easy to handle, understanding of their limitations is necessary for a correct interpretation of the results. The aim of this project was to investigate residents’ knowled...

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Main Authors: Elias Bekka, Samuel E. Christen, Laura Hermann, Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos, Manuel Haschke, Evangelia Liakoni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-01-01
Series:International Journal of Analytical Chemistry
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/4400606
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author Elias Bekka
Samuel E. Christen
Laura Hermann
Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos
Manuel Haschke
Evangelia Liakoni
author_facet Elias Bekka
Samuel E. Christen
Laura Hermann
Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos
Manuel Haschke
Evangelia Liakoni
author_sort Elias Bekka
collection DOAJ
description Introduction. In case of suspected acute recreational drug toxicity, immunoassays are commonly used as diagnostic tools. Although easy to handle, understanding of their limitations is necessary for a correct interpretation of the results. The aim of this project was to investigate residents’ knowledge regarding drug screening immunoassays at a Swiss hospital group. Methods. All residents of a large hospital group in Switzerland were invited by e-mail to participate in an anonymous survey. Following ten multiple choice questions on drug screening tests, the participants were also asked about their demographics, whether they used drug screening tests on a regular basis, and how confident they felt in their ability to interpret test results. Results. The ten knowledge questions were answered by 110 of the 1026 residents (11%). Among the 108 participants with available demographics, 90% were 25–35 years old, 63% were female, and 70% were at least in their 4th year of residency. The median score of correct answers was 4 out of 10 (range 0–7) and in 50% of the questions, the correct answer was the most frequently selected response. No significant differences in the knowledge scores were found based on the training, confidence level, or the frequency of drug tests used in daily work. Conclusion. This survey revealed widespread knowledge gaps among residents regarding the interpretation of immunoassay-based drug test results. These findings can be used to implement educational measures on this topic and might provide a basis for targeted information on common pitfalls to be included in laboratory reports.
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spelling doaj-art-b922db92d2cb4b35a3463d3bc6e877672025-08-20T02:23:39ZengWileyInternational Journal of Analytical Chemistry1687-87792024-01-01202410.1155/2024/4400606Residents’ Knowledge regarding Recreational Drug Screening Immunoassays at a Swiss Hospital GroupElias Bekka0Samuel E. Christen1Laura Hermann2Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos3Manuel Haschke4Evangelia Liakoni5Clinical Pharmacology and ToxicologyClinical Pharmacology and ToxicologyClinical Pharmacology and ToxicologyDepartment of Emergency MedicineClinical Pharmacology and ToxicologyClinical Pharmacology and ToxicologyIntroduction. In case of suspected acute recreational drug toxicity, immunoassays are commonly used as diagnostic tools. Although easy to handle, understanding of their limitations is necessary for a correct interpretation of the results. The aim of this project was to investigate residents’ knowledge regarding drug screening immunoassays at a Swiss hospital group. Methods. All residents of a large hospital group in Switzerland were invited by e-mail to participate in an anonymous survey. Following ten multiple choice questions on drug screening tests, the participants were also asked about their demographics, whether they used drug screening tests on a regular basis, and how confident they felt in their ability to interpret test results. Results. The ten knowledge questions were answered by 110 of the 1026 residents (11%). Among the 108 participants with available demographics, 90% were 25–35 years old, 63% were female, and 70% were at least in their 4th year of residency. The median score of correct answers was 4 out of 10 (range 0–7) and in 50% of the questions, the correct answer was the most frequently selected response. No significant differences in the knowledge scores were found based on the training, confidence level, or the frequency of drug tests used in daily work. Conclusion. This survey revealed widespread knowledge gaps among residents regarding the interpretation of immunoassay-based drug test results. These findings can be used to implement educational measures on this topic and might provide a basis for targeted information on common pitfalls to be included in laboratory reports.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/4400606
spellingShingle Elias Bekka
Samuel E. Christen
Laura Hermann
Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos
Manuel Haschke
Evangelia Liakoni
Residents’ Knowledge regarding Recreational Drug Screening Immunoassays at a Swiss Hospital Group
International Journal of Analytical Chemistry
title Residents’ Knowledge regarding Recreational Drug Screening Immunoassays at a Swiss Hospital Group
title_full Residents’ Knowledge regarding Recreational Drug Screening Immunoassays at a Swiss Hospital Group
title_fullStr Residents’ Knowledge regarding Recreational Drug Screening Immunoassays at a Swiss Hospital Group
title_full_unstemmed Residents’ Knowledge regarding Recreational Drug Screening Immunoassays at a Swiss Hospital Group
title_short Residents’ Knowledge regarding Recreational Drug Screening Immunoassays at a Swiss Hospital Group
title_sort residents knowledge regarding recreational drug screening immunoassays at a swiss hospital group
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/4400606
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AT laurahermann residentsknowledgeregardingrecreationaldrugscreeningimmunoassaysataswisshospitalgroup
AT aristomeniskexadaktylos residentsknowledgeregardingrecreationaldrugscreeningimmunoassaysataswisshospitalgroup
AT manuelhaschke residentsknowledgeregardingrecreationaldrugscreeningimmunoassaysataswisshospitalgroup
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