This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (5)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Levy, S.
Right arrow Articles by Knight, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Levy, S.
Right arrow Articles by Knight, J.
Related Collections
Right arrow Therapeutics & Toxicology
PEDIATRICS Vol. 113 No. 4 April 2004, pp. 720-726

A Review of Internet-Based Home Drug-Testing Products for Parents

Sharon Levy, MD, MPH*,{ddagger},§, Shari Van Hook, PA-C, MPH{ddagger} and John Knight, MD*,{ddagger},§,||

* Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
{ddagger} Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research, Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
§ Division of General Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
|| Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

Objective. To review home drug-testing products and the Internet-based recommendations intended for parents.

Methods. A qualitative review of drug-testing products and structured analysis of information presented on company Internet sites were conducted. Eight Internet sites that sold home drug-testing products and contained a "parent’s section" were identified by Ixquick using the search term "home drug testing." Description and prices of products sold by each Internet site and recommended indications for testing, consent, collection procedures, and follow-up of positive and negative test results were researched.

Results. A variety of drug-testing products were available, including breath and saliva tests for alcohol, a multidrug panel hair test, and a variety of laboratory and instant urine tests. Prices ranged from $2.75 for a single alcohol test to $89.00 for a multidrug combination urine/hair package. A total of 14 indications for home drug-testing were cited; all sites claimed that drug testing was a way to know with certainty whether a child has used drugs. Only 1 web site made a clear statement against testing an adolescent against his or her will. Little information was presented on valid specimen collection procedures and the risks of false-positive and false-negative tests. Only half of the sites recommended that parents consult a professional if a test is positive.

Conclusions. Pediatricians should advise parents of the limitations and potential risks associated with home drug-testing products.

Key Words: substance abuse detection • substance related disorders • adolescence

Abbreviations: MTF, Monitoring the Future • FDA, Food and Drug Administration • AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics • PCP, phencyclidine • MDMA, 3,4-methylinedioxymethamphetamine • LSD, lysergic acid • NIDA, National Institute on Drug Abuse

Received for publication Jan 21, 2003; Accepted Jul 7, 2003.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci.Home page
L. A TABAK
Point-of-Care Diagnostics Enter the Mouth
Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., March 1, 2007; 1098(1): 7 - 14.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
Committee on Substance Abuse and Council on School
Testing for Drugs of Abuse in Children and Adolescents: Addendum--Testing in Schools and at Home
Pediatrics, March 1, 2007; 119(3): 627 - 630.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
S. Levy, S. K. Harris, L. Sherritt, M. Angulo, and J. R. Knight
Laboratory Testing for Drug Abuse--Reply
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, August 1, 2006; 160(8): 854 - 854.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
S. Levy, S. K. Harris, L. Sherritt, M. Angulo, and J. R. Knight
Drug Testing of Adolescents in Ambulatory Medicine: Physician Practices and Knowledge
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, February 1, 2006; 160(2): 146 - 150.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]