Accuracy of Patient-Reported Exposure to New Psychoactive Substances and Other Illicit Drugs in Australian…

Cohort studyDrug and alcohol review· Jul 2026

Accuracy of Patient-Reported Exposure to New Psychoactive Substances and Other Illicit Drugs in Australian Emergency Departments: Findings From the Emerging Drugs Network of Australia.

Marjan J Nijmeijer, Jennifer L Smith, Courtney Weber … Ewoud Ter Avest

Addiction MedicineCohort studyDiagnosisQ1IF 2.6

74.5% of emergency departments patients had more drugs detected than they reported using.

Accuracy of Patient-Reported Exposure to New Psychoactive Substances and Other Illicit Drugs in Australian Emergency Departments: Findings From the Emerging Drugs Network of Australia.

Marjan J Nijmeijer … Ewoud Ter Avest

Drug and alcohol review · Jul 2026 · Q1 in General Medicine

Background

New psychoactive substances (new psychoactive substances) present a unique challenge in clinical, public health and drug-policy contexts.

Purpose

This study examined the accuracy of patient-reported new psychoactive substances and illicit drug exposure in Australian emergency departments (emergency departments).

Methods

Patient-reported drug exposure, clinical and toxicology data were extracted from the Emerging Drugs Network of Australia Clinical Registry between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2024 for patients presenting with severe and/or unusual illicit drug toxicity in the emergency departments.

n = 293

Results

74.5%

Toxicology found extra drugs beyond what patients disclosed in most cases.

n = 293

More results

There were 2044 presentations: 64.6% male, median age 33 years (Q1-Q3, 26-41).

Complete agreement between patient-reported and confirmed drug exposures was 14.3% (n = 293).

Older age (OR 1.03 [CI 1.02, 1.04]) was associated with higher odds of discrepancy.

More results

Attendance from a licensed venue (OR 0.44 [CI 0.28, 0.70]) and Glasgow Coma Scale of 13-15 (OR 0.44 [CI 0.33, 0.57]) were associated with lower odds.

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Conclusion

Poor agreement between patient-reported and analytically confirmed drug exposure highlights the need for continued partnerships between EDs, clinical toxicologists, and forensic laboratories to identify substances involved in acute intoxications and support public health and harm reduction responses.

Accuracy of Patient-Reported Exposure to New Psychoactive Substances and Other Illicit Drugs in Australian Emergency Departments: Findings From the Emerging Drugs Network of Australia.

Accuracy of Patient-Reported Exposure to New Psychoactive Substances and Other Illicit Drugs in Australian Emergency Departments: Findings From the Emerging Drugs Network of Australia.

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