Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40722082›Full record

ArticleHarm reduction journal2025

Does a take-home dose program result in better patient adherence to methadone? Evidence from Vietnam.

Thuong Nong, Dominic Hodgkin, Nguyen Bich Diep, Victor Capoccia, Constance Horgan, Hoang Dinh Canh, Giang Le

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Harm reduction journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Thuong NongBrandeis University, Waltham, USA. thuongnong@brandeis.edu.
Dominic HodgkinBrandeis University, Waltham, USA.
Nguyen Bich DiepHanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Victor CapocciaIndependent Consultant, Boston, MA, USA.
Constance HorganBrandeis University, Waltham, USA.
Hoang Dinh CanhNational Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Giang LeHanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMethadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is an effective treatment for opioid use disorders, yet patient adherence and retention remain challenges in many countries. To address this, Vietnam piloted a take-home methadone program in 21 clinics across three northern provinces.

methodsUsing a stepped-wedge design, the study evaluated the impact of this take-home program on treatment adherence among 500 MMT patients who were eligible for take-home methadone in 12 pilot clinics. We used T-tests and Poisson regression models to compare patients' treatment adherence between take-home and in-person dosing periods, and conducted sensitivity analyses to assess the robustness of the results.

resultsThe results indicated a significant improvement in adherence during take-home months. Joining the take-home program is associated with a reduction in methadone doses missed in a month by approximately 60%. Each additional month in the program is associated with a further 11% decrease in missed doses. Sensitivity analysis supports this finding. Each additional month in the program is also associated with a reduction in the number of times missing five consecutive doses in a month by 12.3%, but no association was found between take-home and the outcome. The sensitivity analysis found a significant negative association between the likelihood of missing five consecutive doses and the patient's continued participation in the take-home program until the last month of data collection.

conclusionThe findings underscore the effectiveness of the take-home methadone policy in enhancing patient adherence, with greater benefits observed over extended participation.

Indexed as

Medication AdherenceMethadoneOpiate Substitution TreatmentOpioid-Related DisordersAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsVietnamMethadoneAdherenceMethadoneMMTTake-homeVietnam

Identifiers

PMID40722082
PMCPMC12302866

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