Managing drug misuse in general practice

BMJ 1999;318:1503-1504 ( 5 June )

Editorials

Managing drug misuse in general practice

New Department of Health guidelines provide a benchmark for good practice

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Guidelines on the clinical management of drug misuse were first issued by the Department of Health in 1991. The latest version,issued last month,¹ has been long awaited and has already sparkedcontroversy. The new guidelines focus more on the role of thegeneralist than on that of the specialist in drug misuse, so theyare particularly relevant to generalpractitioners.

The differences between the new and the old guidelines reflect changes over the decade both in our knowledge of drug misuseand in service delivery. Firstly, the new guidelines emphasisethe developing evidence base, particularly the strong evidencefor the effectiveness of methadone maintenance treatment.²Secondly, they recognise the importance of the structure of servicedelivery and the key role of shared care within this. The newguidelines place responsibilities not just on doctors but alsoon commissioning bodies to deliver a service and to support doctors.Thirdly, there is . . . [Full text of this article]

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