UK experts to speak at Lisbon addictions conference

Experts from the UK on prescription drugs misuse and tobacco addiction are among speakers at an international conference on addictive behaviours and dependencies that opens today in Lisbon, Portugal.

More than 1,200 people from 71 countries are attending the three-day event, Lisbon Addictions 2017.

King’s College London professor of tobacco addiction Ann McNeill will discuss the challenges ahead for tobacco policy and chair a session on therapy for nicotine addiction.

Drugs misuse

Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust consultant physician and clinical toxicologist David Wood will speak about prescription drugs misuse.

The conference will also hear the stories of ten nurses in Norway who lost their medical license due to prescription drugs misuse and theft from the workplace.

Elsewhere on the agenda, University of Dublin School of Nursing and Midwifery professor in healthcare modelling Catherine Comiskey will talk about developing an evidence-informed local drug strategy and risk factors for children of parents who use drugs.

Lessons learned

There will also be a debate on lessons learned from the recent HIV outbreaks in Europe among people who inject drugs, including a look at a case study in Glasgow.

The conference is jointly organised by the Portuguese General-Directorate for Intervention on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies, the scientific journal Addiction, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors.

Nursing Standard will be reporting from the event, with updates on Twitter via #LxAddictions17.

Further information

Read the programme

In other news

• NMC overhauls English requirements for overseas nurses
• Campaign for RCN to rejoin ICN wins backing of leading nurses