Performance Evaluation for Qualitative and Semi-quantitative Methamphetamine Drug Screening Service on Automated with DRI Immunoassay Principles at Surin Hospital

Abstract

Background: Significant problems of methamphetamine abuse in Thailand has emerged for a long time and enacted the law to prevent control, treatment, rehabilitation, and punishment. The immunoassay screening technique is defined by law to search for drug addicts before further procedures. Nowadays, the famous immunoassay, the homogenous enzyme immunoassay (EIA), Diagnostic Reagent incorporated (DRI) Enzyme Immunoassay reagent-based method with the automatic analyzing machine is more effective than Immunochromatography (IC).
Objective: The study aims to evaluate the performance of DRI.
Methods: 178 Urine samples with the Thin layer chromatography (TLC) results conducted from 15^th December 2022 to 31^st January 2023 were analyzed with IC and DRI. The test’s performance characteristics between IC and DRI through the Indiko automatic analyzing machine. Concurrently the survey evaluates the needs and benefits to be gained by those using the methamphetamine screening service that can provide both qualitative and quantitative results.
Results: The performance characteristics of the IC and the DRI Immunoassay technique compared with TLC method showed sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, false positive, false negative, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value 98.1, 100, 98.3, 0, 1.9, 100, 87.5, and 100,100, 100, 0, 0, 100, 100 respectively. Regarding the benefits of the report which provides the positive or negative coexist with the concentration was needed at the most.
Conclusion: Methamphetamine screening is still significant to find the drug abuse person and aim for rehabilitation or legal punishment. The method to reduce the errors and follow the SAMHSA standard guideline is suitable for using. DRI immunoassay has shown upper performance to methamphetamine screening by no mistake results, meeting the SAMHSA guideline, and giving trustable results which can enhance medical and legal management in terms of the efficacy of treatment and rehabilitation and monitoring the suspect case, finally saving the community from the drug abuse effect.