Retention in Substitution Programm by Buprenorphine

Overview

Objective:
The major objective of the study is to compare retention in maintenance therapy with buprenorphine provided in different treatment settings.

Methods:
One hundred and thirty two heroin dependent patients were studied for a period of three months. The mean age of the subjects was 25 years; males were overrepresented in the sample (76 %). The Czech adaptation of Europ-ASI was used for patient’s assessment at intake, relevant information from medical records were collected as well.

Results:
The average length of stay in programme was 57.4 days. No significant differences were found in retention in three treatments settings (specialized centre for substitution, general practitioner, and combination of those two). The full three month treatment period was completed by 35 % of patients. Again, there were no differences in treatment completion by treatment setting. The impact of psychosocial factors on retention is discussed briefly.

Conclusion:
The results suggest that prescription of buprenorphine by general practitioners led to comparable retention and treatment completion as treatment in specialised centres. We can conclude that buprenorphine maintenance may be effective in routine services provided by general practitioners.

Key words:
dependence on heroin, buprenorphine, maintenance programme, general practitioners, retention.