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Foresight plays an important role in public policy development. The foresight learning process brings together various actors in the policy community and incentivizes them to think about the future. It encourages new ways of thinking and approaches to strategy and is a practical approach to using the future to inform decisions and actions in the present. Foresight faces challenges in becoming embedded in the policy process. One of these challenges is in establishing its epistemic authority when compared to natural science and social science disciplines. This paper argues foresight can benefit from developments in political theory and philosophy of science. Democratic deliberation is an approach to public discourse which emphasizes pluralism in debate and provides a detailed account of how reason-giving can add epistemic depth to foresight's contribution to policy. Perspectival realism is a theory in philosophy of science which identifies the interplay between separate epistemic communities as the key mechanism in scientific development. The modal models that these epistemic communities create present a new way of understanding foresight's study of the future and its part in the weave of scientific evidence, opinion and analysis that constitute policy development in a democratic society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Given the increased prevalence of cannabis use in Ireland and increase in cannabis potency, this study aimed to estimate the size of the potential population in Ireland that may be in need of cannabis treatment and the percentage of people with cannabis use disorder (CUD) who actually access treatment. We also compared the profile of those with CUD in the general population to those who receive treatment for their cannabis use to explore whether certain subgroups are more or less likely to enter treatment. Method: This was a retrospective, multi-source database study. Data were obtained from (1) Ireland's 2014/2015 national general population survey (GPS) on drug use and (2) treatment data from the Irish National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) for 2015. The profiles of GPS cases with CUD and NDTRS cases were compared using 2-sided t tests designed for independent samples. Results: The prevalence of last year cannabis use among adults aged 15 and older was 6.5% and the prevalence of CUD was 2.6%, representing 94,515 of the Irish population. A total of 4,761 cases entered treatment for problem cannabis use. NDTRS treatment cases were significantly more likely than GPS cases to be unemployed (63.7% vs. 26.6%) and have no or primary level only educational attainment (56.3% vs. 21.2%). Over half (53.3%) of NDTRS cases first used cannabis before the age of 15 years, compared to 14.7% of CUD cases in the population. Discussion/Conclusion: Our findings suggest that earlier users and those with more complex or disadvantaged lives are more likely to seek treatment. A broad population health approach that engages multiple sectors such as health, social welfare, and education is recommended to ensure that there is increased opportunity for people with CUD to be identified and signposted towards treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper describes the rationale and philosophy behind the development of a blended learning course for allied health professionals working in the field of substance use prevention and the results of an evaluation of the pilot course. The course teaches a range of information literacy skills in order to increase the participants' knowledge of evidence-based practice and enable them to pursue an evidence-based approach in their professional work. The course Evidence-based Substance Use Prevention and Education Practice was developed and delivered by the National Documentation Centre on Drug Use (NDC), a special substance-use research library in Ireland, where the author works. The NDC is part of a drug and alcohol research unit, comprising epidemiologists, social researchers and statisticians. This unit is based in an Irish Government agency called the Health Research Board (HRB). Method: Data required for the evaluation of the pilot course were obtained from responses by participants to pre- and post-course questionnaires and from a focus group of some of those who completed the course. Findings: The course was established on the premise that the effective transfer of scientific knowledge in the field of problem drug use requires that practitioners develop information literacy skills to enable them to understand the principles of evidence-based practice. The findings of the course evaluation suggest that a blended learning course in evidence-based practice is an effective way to teach these skills and promote an evidence-based approach to practice in this area. Originality: Developing information literacy skills is a key part of the inculcation of evidence-based principles in medical education and in the education of allied health professionals. The teaching of information literacy skills to students involved in health-related education has been studied extensively. The course described in this paper builds on the evidence provided by the literature and applies the principles of information literacy teaching in a setting of continuing professional development. In terms of its scope, target audience and objectives, the course is unique and the insights obtained from the delivery of the course and its evaluation form a useful and original contribution to research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to the prevention paradox, the majority of alcohol-related harms in the population occur among low-to-moderate risk drinkers, simply because they are more numerous in the population, although high-risk drinkers have a higher individual risk of experiencing alcohol-related harms. In this study we explored the prevention paradox in the Irish population by comparing alcohol-dependent drinkers (high-risk) to low-risk drinkers and non-dependent drinkers who engage in heavy episodic drinking (HED).Methods: Data were generated from the 2013 National Alcohol Diary Survey (NADS), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of Irish adults aged 18-75. Data were available for 4338 drinkers. Respondents dependent on alcohol (as measured by DSM-IV criteria), respondents who engaged in monthly HED or occasional HED (1-11 times a year) and low-risk drinkers were compared for distribution of eight alcohol-related harms.Results: Respondents who were dependent on alcohol had a greater individual risk of experiencing each harm (p < .0001). The majority of the harms in the population were accounted for by drinkers who were not dependent on alcohol. Together, monthly and occasional HED drinkers accounted for 62% of all drinkers, consumed 70% of alcohol and accounted for 59% of alcohol-related harms.Conclusions: Our results indicate that the majority of alcohol consumption and related harms in the Irish population are accounted for by low- and moderate-risk drinkers, and specifically by those who engage in heavy episodic drinking. A population-based approach to reducing alcohol-related harm is most appropriate in the Irish context. Immediate implementation of the measures in the Public Health (Alcohol) Act (2018) is necessary to reduce alcohol-related harm in Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]