Drug testing and adherence monitoring

Drug testing is the technique of detecting the presence or absence of a drug or its metabolites in a biological sample. This procedure can be carried out in a number of locations and using a variety of methods. Because different drugs metabolize at different rates in the body, the time period for detecting certain substances or metabolites may be extremely precise and vary greatly from substance to substance. Despite the disadvantages, drug testing is critical in the therapeutic context because clinical examination, patient self-reporting, and collateral reporting frequently underestimate the true prevalence of substance misuse. Drug testing, on the other hand, should always be utilized in conjunction with a thorough history, physical examination, and psychosocial evaluation. The procedure of drug testing, the legalities involved, and the role of the interprofessional team in handling patients who misuse drugs are described in the following chapter.