Level of Concordance Between Urine Drug Test Results and Self-Report Among Patients Attending the Substance Use Disorders Clinic in Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Maiduguri

Abstract

Background: Substance use disorders are among the most common disorders seen in the Mental Health facility. Discrepancies in harmonising self-reports and laboratory results significantly mar the assessment of these disorders. So many factors account for this, such as the timing of the test and the nature of the substance used, among others. Objectives: The study determined the sociodemographic and clinical correlates involved with regard to agreeableness between self-report and urine drug test results among patients being treated for substance use disorders. Methodology: A cross-sectional study from March to May 2022 involved patients treated for substance use disorders at Maiduguri. The authors encountered 109 clients based on scheduled appointments using information from the register kept by health records staff. The study pathway included information, obtaining consent, and administering questionnaires designed by the authors along with the Drug Abuse Screening Test version 10 (DAST-10). Seventy-five (75) patients all met our inclusion criteria and thus fully participated. Results: The minimum age was 18 years, and the maximum was 58 years. Sixty-nine (92%) were males. Thirty-one (41.3%) of them were secondary school leavers, and 17 (22.7%) were in higher institutions. Sixteen (21%) were Civil servants, and 5 (6.7%) were unemployed. A bivariate association using chi-square and t-test showed that academic qualification related significantly with DAST-10 score (P = 0.005). Occupation was also associated significantly with DAST-10 score (P = 0.033). The UDT report was positive for 67(89.3%) but only tallied with self-report for 23 (30.7%) participants. There was a wide margin of disagreement between substances detected by UDT and self-report of substance use. Conclusion: Self-report of substance use did not directly concur with UDT results. This underscores the need for further scrutiny and caution while using any approach as a stand-alone, especially when planning for interventions.