Abstract

Aim: To critically appraise methods used within a systematic review by Amsterdam & Van Den Brink (2022) which explored harm related to use of ketamine, and to expand upon the review’s findings to inform mental health nursing practice.

Design: Commentary.

Methods: Critical appraisal and expansion of the review’s findings in the context of other available evidence.

Results: Clinical use of ketamine appears to be relatively safe, but heavy and prolonged recreational use of ketamine is associated with serious adverse health effects. However, the review’s approach may lack methodological validity which may limit confidence in the review’s findings.

Conclusions: Further high-quality long-term research is required to gain a better understanding of users’ motivations for the recreational use of ketamine, the risks and harms associated with its long-term heavy use and dependency, its harm-reduction, treatment, economic impact, and public messaging.

Key Points
- Ketamine is used effectively as an anaesthetic in both medicine and veterinary fields.
- The safety of long-term heavy use of ketamine is largely unknown.
- The increasing prevalence of unsupervised heavy and long-term use of ketamine represents a public health concern, most notably for young people.
- Guidelines for mental health professionals on the use and treatment of ketamine are needed.