HLSC122, Semester 1, 2019: Critical Appraisal of Drug Use Research

This essay provides a critical appraisal of the research paper by Day et al. (2018) focusing on music festival attendees' illicit drug use, knowledge, and practices regarding drug content and purity. The essay examines the study's authorship, aims, design, methods, and findings, highlighting both strengths and weaknesses. It then addresses a case scenario involving a mother's concerns about drug testing at music festivals, exploring barriers to applying the research findings in practice. The appraisal utilizes the PICO method to evaluate the study's components. Finally, the essay concludes by summarizing the key points and suggesting the study's contribution to future research, including barriers at individual and organizational levels.

Running Head: CRITICAL APPRAISAL
Music festival attendees' illicit drug use, knowledge and practices regarding drug
content and purity: a cross-sectional survey
Student name:
Student number:
HLSC122Semester1, 2019
Assessment 3: Critical appraisal of evidence
Word count:

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Introduction
Drug checking at music festivals assists people to understand the potential harms of
illicit drugs. The drug checking service aimed at protecting teenagers from illicit drug use
behaviour to improve the quality of life. Unfortunately, according to the recent data, illicit
drug use has become considerable prevalent among teenagers and adversely affected their
health. In recent years the researches have been working on the assessment and management
of illicit drug use. The current assignment provides the critical appraisal of one of the latest
research on the effectiveness of drug checking and knowledge/practice at a musical festival to
change the behaviours of the illicit drug users.
Authorship
The authors (Day et al., 2018) provided empirical data on drug harm reduction and
knowledge related to drug abuse. The authors provided a detailed scientific description of the
Australian population and illicit drug use. The authors aimed at reducing the drug user’s
behaviour by implement behaviour modification and knowledge delivery oriented services. In
the current study, the knowledge and practice through the drug checking and drug harm
reduction technique were intended to investigate. The study found effective in providing the
research data regarding the knowledge and practice of drug checking services and the
opinions and attitude of teenagers towards the drug.
Research aims
The research aim was to increase the understandings of behaviour and attitudes in
music festival attendees towards drug checking service.
Research aim should be rationally defined in the research what it means by the behaviour and
attitude of the respondents because it may be different from people to people and if the
respondents were defined their behaviour by themselves they might be the responses of the
respondents were biased.
Research Design

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The survey research design was used to collect data. According to the author, the survey
research design is the most effective research tool to gather information from the participants
regarding, drug abuser behaviour chain, craving, health promotion and health risk factors.
Therefore, the authors used survey research design in the current study.
Research Method
A survey was conducted after pilot testing on the representative participants by the
experienced alcohol, sexual health, health promotion and public health field researchers.
Participants were the Australian popular music festival attendees who were asked an open-
ended question about the purity of the drug used that leads towards to fill the quantitative
research questioner to be filled by the attendees.
Pilot testing and the specifically taking experienced field researchers in which research was
taken were taken in the research that was worthy because, without pilot testing and
experienced researchers, the reliability and validity of the research were questioned.
Researchers should also participate in the Australian non-popular festivals attendees so that
the purity of the drug and other questions were considered in regard.
Researchers took the consent by the participants, who were mostly between the age group of
18-30, by informing them about the purpose of the study and ensure them about the
confidentiality by taking a paper-based survey in a closed box that did not have their
demographics. The intoxication of the participants was also be considered by not taking the
data in night time and visibility of intoxications.
SPSS version 22 was used to analyse the research results. The categorical variable
association was checked by the Chi-square, whereas for continuous variable t-test was
conducted where <0.05 p-value considered statically significant. Participant's questioner
having missing data were excluded from the research. Coding schemes were created for the
open-ended questions after taking the research consensus and then it was used in research
findings.

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Research Results and Findings
Prevalence of drug use statistically found to be non-significant among male and
female (p = 0.060) due to the discrepancy of the majority of the female participants in the
research. During the 12 months, the prevalence the drugs were alcohol, cannabis, ecstasy and
cocaine (97.8, 63.9, 59.8 and 34.1%, respectively). According to the results of the study, the
majority of participants, 73.3% reported they were an active user of cannabis and ecstasy.
Around 86.5% of participants suggested that access to drug harm reduction service is hard to
approach due to the high cost. Also, 84.9% of participants stated that the collaboration
between drug harm reduction service and drug testing might be productive in changing drug
use behaviour among participants.
Furthermore, 68.6% of participants stated that the use of the drug testing service is an
effective quality control mechanism. 5% of participants reported they should highly use drug
testing or drug harm reduction services. In contrast, 34% of participants stated that they
should moderately use such services to seek help to reduce drug oriented harm. Furthermore,
the participants stated that the knowledge regarding drug harm would be helpful to quit illicit
drug habit; in particular, the drug contained para-methoxyamethaphine and
methamphetamine should not be intake. The results found to consistent with the literature, as
a substantial body of researches suggested that the drug harm reduction services effectively
help in reducing the drug illicit use behaviour among teenagers.
Researchers should equally distribute the questioners between males and females so that a
significant relationship can be found about gender.
Strength and weakness
The strengths of the study were found to be effective knowledge delivery to reduce
the risk of illicit drug use. Strength of the study was effective assessment strategy and tools;
the survey research design with open-ended question provides the in-depth data regarding the
targeted constructed. Furthermore, the results have been described in both qualitative and

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quantitative form. Furthermore, the aspects that have covered in the survey questionnaire
found to be effective. The study has some limitation or weaknesses as well, such as the
sampling technique was not mentioned in the article, which plays a significant role in the
generalisation of data. The literature was lacking in the current study to provide information
regarding the effectiveness of drug testing in recent years. The points that have been reported
as the strength and weakness of the study were found to affect the validity of the study. The
latest researches found to answer the all concerned question through intervention delivery.
Part B- A barrier to the application of evidence
The study provided substantial evidence regarding the effectivity of the knowledge
and practice regarding illicit drug use through drug checking. The given scenario
recommended that the mother of Emily was uncertain about the effectiveness of drug testing
at a music festival. The mother was found to have a negative attitude towards the music
festive arranged for teenagers. The mother wanted her daughter to stay away from such
functions and not indulge in drug use activity. The present study recommended that the
majority of participants reported the drug checking as a productive health care service to
reduce the drug use behaviour. Also, participants suggested that the drug harm reduction
program at musical festivals added up in producing the desired results. The literature provides
substantial data that support the finding of the current study that drug use program effectively
reduces the illicit drug use behaviour among participants (Greenhalgh, 2018). A study has
been carried out to assess the effectiveness of drug testing at music or dance festivals
(Butterfield, 2016). The results of the study suggested that the drug harm reduction programs
increased the insight among participants, which increases the probability to not indulge in
illicit drug use behaviour. According to another study, the drug harm reduction programs at
community and festival levels found to be effective in reducing the drug use behaviour
among participants (Mema et al., 2018; Kerr, 2017). Some contradictory studies were also
included in the current study to assess the validity and reliability of the study. According to

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recent data, drug-testing services increase illicit drug use behaviour (Lancaster, Ritter,
Matthew & Simmons, 2013). The given scenario raised a question on the effectiveness of
drug checking service at the music festivals. The Day et al. (2018) study provided the
appropriate answer that the drug checking at music festivals increase the knowledge and
practice regarding drug harm and reduces the risk of using illicit drug behaviour (Chinet et
al., 2007). The paper has been overviewed considering the PICO method. The P stands for
population, and in the current paper, the teenagers were defined and study appropriately. I
represent the intervention; drug testing and drug harm reduction services were intervention.
Although the intervention was not carried out, the survey was based on intervention to reduce
the drug use behaviour has been considered. C stands for comparison, illicit drug users, non-
users were compared based on the survey questionnaire. The outcome of the study suggested
that both the drug harm reduction services and drug checking reduced the use of the illicit
drug among teenagers. The current study ticks all the areas of the PICO method and
extensively provides an answer for all the concerned question.
Barriers for application
The barriers for application of the research finding in practice can be divided into two
levels, i.e. individual and organisational. The research finding cannot be practice on the
individual level as the time limit because the intervention of education-based program takes a
long time to develop insight. Sometimes time-based educational intervention cause boredom
among participants; as a result, they quit the session. The quitting session leads them to use
illicit drug use behaviour among participants. Another barrier is cost, the education-based
program on drug checking and drug harm reduction need considerable cost, which is hard for
a researcher to bear on the individual level. As far as barriers on organisational levels are
concerned, multiple organisation has developed an effective practical program to reduce the
illicit drug use behaviour or drug checking. Therefore it takes immense effort to develop
something creative to get the attraction of the participants. Furthermore, the people,

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particularly teenagers, are not well familiar with drug checking effectiveness; therefore, there
is the least probability that the people would join the organisation to get knowledge or
awareness.
Conclusion
The current paper provided the ground for reducing illicit drug use among teenagers
using drug checking and drug harm reduction services. The teenagers were selected as the
subject, and the finding of the results was found to be consistent with the literature. The
critical appraisal provided the strength as well as weaknesses of the study. The current study
fulfils the criteria of PICO research. The literature has been found consistent with the current
study. A few barriers have been found in the application of research findings in the individual
and organisational level. In short, regardless of all the shortcomings, the current study would
help in making a management plan for further studies.

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References
Butterfield, R., Barratt, M., Ezard, N., Day, R. O. (2016). Drug checking to improve
monitoring of new psychoactive substances in Australia. Med J Aust, 204(5): 144– 5
Retrieved from https://espace.curtin.edu.au/handle/20.500.11937/29714
Chinet, L, Stephan, P, Zobel, F, Halfon, O. (2007). Party drug use in techno nights: a field
survey among French‐speaking Swiss attendees. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 86(9),
284– 9 Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091305706002462
Day, N., Criss, J., Griffiths, B., Gujral, S. K., John-Leader, F., Johnston, J., & Pit, S. (2018).
Music festival attendees' illicit drug use, knowledge and practices regarding drug
content and purity: a cross-sectional survey. Harm reduction journal, 15(1), 1.
doi:10.1186/s12954-017-0205-7
Greenhalgh, T.M., Bidewell, J., Crisp, E., Lambros, A., & Warland, J. (2018). Understanding
research methods for evidence-based practice in health. Milton, Qld: Wiley. Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871519217305036
Kerr, T. (2017). Drug Checking: As a Harm Reduction Intervention. British Columbia Centre
for Substance Use.
Lancaster K, Ritter A, Matthew‐Simmons F. (2013). Young people's opinions on alcohol and
other drugs issues. ANCD research paper. Canberra: Australian National Council on
Drugs, 5(8), 190-193.
Mema, I., C. Sage, C., Xu, Y., Tupper, K. W., Ziemianowicz, D, McCrae, K., Leigh, M.,
Munn, M B., Taylor, M., Corneil, T. (2018). Drug checking at an electronic dance music
festival during the public health overdose emergency in British Columbia. Canadian
Journal of Public Health, 5(109), 740-744 Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.17269/s41997-018-0126-6