KASPR Research Published in the Journal of Substance Use
We are delighted to announce that the first KASPR research paper, “Assessing Ketamine-Related Risk: Development and Inter-Rater Reliability of the KASPR Tool”, has been published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Substance Use on 3 October 2026.
The paper presents the development and initial reliability testing of KASPR (Ketamine Assessment, Screening & Progression Risk), a ketamine-specific assessment tool designed to help practitioners recognise emerging harm, understand patterns of risk and identify appropriate intervention needs.
Unlike approaches that focus predominantly on dependence, KASPR considers three interconnected areas: Exposure, Drivers and Harm. It also incorporates sentinel symptoms — important warning signs that may indicate significant ketamine-related harm.
The study involved 25 practitioners assessing eight standardised case scenarios. The findings demonstrated good overall inter-rater reliability, meaning that practitioners generally produced consistent overall assessments when using KASPR. Agreement was stronger in some areas than others, highlighting priorities for continued development.
This publication represents an important milestone in establishing the evidence base for KASPR and its wider programme of structured ketamine-specific interventions.
Further research into the validity and practical application of the framework is underway, alongside its introduction into practitioner training and service delivery.
Read the published research:
Harris, P.G. (2026) ‘Assessing ketamine-related risk: development and inter-rater reliability of the KASPR tool’, Journal of Substance Use. Published online 3 October 2026.
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