The experience of the narcological service medical specialists in the prevention of substance use among adolescents and youth

The use of psychoactive substances without a prescription is a serious threat to human health and puts a burden on the national health system. Preventive measures play an essential role in reducing the sequelae of non-medical consumption of psychoactive substances, especially in adolescents and young adults. Objective. To identify the problems faced by medical specialists of the drug addiction service, based on their personal professional experience, and propose improvements in the quality of much-needed preventive medical services. Materials and methods. The pilot study included an analysis of regulatory legal acts to ensure the procedure for conducting preventive medical examinations of students to detect the use of illegal drugs and substances. A questionnaire has been developed for an in-depth interview to study the experience of healthcare professionals in complying with the requirements for medical examinations. An in-depth interview of medical specialists of the drug addiction service was conducted, and its results were analyzed. Results. A request was developed from healthcare specialists of the drug addiction service with a justification for the need to introduce standardization of operations that improve the quality of medical preventive services. Conclusion. During the study, the authors concluded that it is crucial to involve adolescents and young adults in medical examinations as much as possible, especially those at risk. In addition, it is proposed that work instruction or a short-term motivational intervention model be developed to prevent addictive behavior and strengthen commitment to a healthy lifestyle among the younger generation as part of ongoing preventive medical examinations.