%0 Journal Article
%T Eligibility for Substance Use Clinical Trials Among Emergency Psychiatry Patients: The Impact of Exclusion Criteria.
%A Lawrence RE
%A Bernstein A
%A Jaffe C
%A Zhao Y
%A Wang Y
%A Goldberg TE
%J J Dual Diagn
%V 0
%N 0
%D 2024 Jul 16
%M 39011934
%F 2.324
%R 10.1080/15504263.2024.2377100
%X Objective: The first objective was to identify common exclusion criteria used in clinical trials. The second objective was to quantify the degree to which these criteria exclude emergency psychiatry patients. Methods: Qualitative Content Analysis was used for the first objective, identifying common exclusion criteria used in recent high-impact substance use clinical trials. A retrospective record review was used for the second objective, which examined the frequency of these exclusion criteria in a 1-month sample of adults receiving psychiatric evaluation in an emergency department. Results: Most trials had exclusions for co-occurring psychiatric problems (76.6%), medical problems (74.0%), prior or current treatment (72.7%), motivation for change (61.1%), pregnancy or lactation (57.1%), or using other specified substances of abuse (54.6%). In the clinical sample, exclusions for co-occurring psychiatric problems would make 94.7% of patients ineligible. Other exclusions had a combined effect of making 76% of patients ineligible. Conclusions: Clinical trials using typical exclusion criteria exclude nearly all emergency psychiatry patients with substance use problems.