Management of opiate detoxification in jails.
Little is known about how jails manage opiate withdrawal among arrestees and inmates. We conducted a national survey of 500 jails in the United States. We specifically asked about assessment and management opiate dependency among arrestees and use of standardized protocols. Among the 245 jails that responded, more than half (56%) reported they routinely assessed arrestees for opiate dependency and most (59%) reported using standardized detoxification protocols. Fifty percent of jails used clonidine for detoxification. Very few jails (1%) used methadone or other opiates (2%) for detoxification. Half of all jails (49%) failed to use clonidine, methadone or other opiates for detoxification. These results show that many jails fail use recommended opiate detoxification procedures and highlight the need for uniform national standards for jail management of opiate dependence.
Fiscella
Kevin
K
Department of Family Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA. Kevin_Fiscella@urmc.rochester.edu
Moore
Andrew
A
Engerman
Judith
J
Meldrum
Sean
S
D000208:Acute Disease; D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003000:Clonidine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009294:Narcotics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011329:Prisoners; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D014481:United States
D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D009294:Narcotics; D003000:Clonidine; D008691:Methadone