SynthesisAddiction (Abingdon, England)2014
Retention of participants in medication-assisted programs in low- and middle-income countries: an international systematic review.
Synthesis in Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Retention in opioid agonist treatment: a rapid review and meta-analysis comparing observational studies and randomized controlled trials.Systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- The role of social network support in treatment outcomes for medication for opioid use disorder: A systematic review.Journal of substance abuse treatment · 2021Pooled it
- Correlates of days of medication for opioid use disorder exposure among people living with HIV in Northern Vietnam.The International journal on drug policy · 2022Trial
- An intervention trial targeting methadone maintenance treatment providers to improve clients' treatment retention in China.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2019Trial
- Patient-centered methadone treatment: a randomized clinical trial.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2017Trial
- Operationalizing Contingency Management to Improve Adherence and Retention in Methadone Treatment: A Scoping Review.Substance use & misuse · 2026Article
- Optimizing retention strategies for opioid use disorder pharmacotherapy: The retention phase of the CTN-0100 trial (RDD).Contemporary clinical trials · 2025Article
- Retention of people who inject drugs enrolled in a 'medications for opioid use disorder' (MOUD) programme in Uganda.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2024Article
- Higher methadone dose at time of release from prison predicts linkage to maintenance treatment for people with HIV and opioid use disorder transitioning to the community in Malaysia.The International journal on drug policy · 2024Article
- Navigating Adherence: Unraveling Factors Shaping Opioid Substitution Therapy Compliance.Cureus · 2024Article
- Adaptation of the Tele-Harm Reduction intervention to promote initiation and retention in buprenorphine treatment among people who inject drugs: a retrospective cohort study.Annals of medicine · 2023Article
- Methadone use for acute opioid withdrawal in Tshwane shelters during the COVID-19 lockdown.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2023Article
- Buprenorphine treatment receipt characteristics and retention among people who inject drugs at Integrated Care Centers in India.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2023Article
- A Prospective Three-Months Naturalistic Follow-Up Study of Outcomes of Patients with Opioid Dependence Discharged on Buprenorphine or Oral Naltrexone.Indian journal of psychological medicine · 2023Article
- Six-month outcomes of the HOPE smartphone application designed to support treatment with medications for opioid use disorder and piloted during an early statewide COVID-19 lockdown.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2022Article
- The "black box" of treatment: Patients' perspective on what works in opioid maintenance treatment for opioid dependence.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2021Article
- The real-world impact of dosing of methadone and buprenorphine in retention on opioid agonist therapies in Ukraine.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2021Observational
- Modelling integrated antiretroviral treatment and harm reduction services on HIV and overdose among people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2020Article
- Harm reduction in practice - The Community Oriented Substance Use Programme in Tshwane.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2020Article
- High retention in an opioid agonist therapy project in Durban, South Africa: the role of best practice and social cohesion.Harm reduction journal · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsMedication-assisted treatment (MAT) is a key component in overdose prevention, reducing illicit opiate use and risk of blood-borne virus infection. By retaining participants in MAT programs for longer periods of time, more noticeable and permanent changes in drug use, risk behavior and quality of life can be achieved. Many studies have documented retention in MAT programs in high-income countries, using a 50% average 12-month follow-up retention rate as a marker for a successful MAT program. This study contributes to a systematic understanding of how successful programs have been in retaining participants in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) over time.
methodsUsing Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we conducted a systematic literature search to identify MAT program studies that documented changes in retention over time for participants in buprenorphine and methadone programs in LMIC. Retention was measured for participants by length of follow-up, type of MAT and treatment dosage.
resultsThere were 58 MAT program studies, with 27 047 participants eligible for inclusion in the review. Overall average retention after 12 months was 54.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 46.2, 63.7%]. Overall average retention was moderately good for both buprenorphine (48.3%, 95% CI = 22.1, 74.6%) and methadone (56.6%, 95% CI = 45.9%, 67.3%) after 12 months of treatment. Among programs using methadone there was no statistically significant difference in average retention by dosage level, and the 10 highest and lowest dosage programs obtained similar average retention levels after 12 months.
conclusionMedication-assisted treatment programs in low- and middle-income countries achieve an average 50% retention rate after 12 months, with wide variation across programs but little difference between those using buprenorphine versus methadone.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.