Very Satisfied

Methadone

• Developed in Germany in the 1940s
• Clinics in 1965
• Proliferation in 1971 (White, 1998)

Methadone, Cont.

• 304.00 Opioid use disorder, severe
• Harm reduction

Problems

• Stigma
• Client turnover
• Continued use of substances

Questions

• What do clients want from Methadone treatment?
• Why do clients leave?
• How interested are clients in total abstinence?
• What can we do that will allow clients to say "very satisfied" on our surveys?

Theory

• Evidence-Based Medicine (Studer, 2003)

Strategy

• Phenomenological qualitative study
• Transformative worldview

Data Collection

• Focus groups at nine 0pioid treatment program locations in the Twin Cities
• Five groups of 8-10 clients daily for a week at each location (N=360-450)
• 60-90 minute sessions

Sample

• Clients with at least six months of continuous dosing
• Consider separate demographic group(s)

Instruments

• Demographic questionnaire
• Free-flowing discussion about Methadone treatment based on Canadian study (Fischer, Chin, Kuo, Kirst, & Vlahov, 2002)

Data Analysis

• QSR NUD*IST

Ethical Issues

• Institutional review board approval
• CITI Human Subjects Research, Information Privacy and Security, and Responsible Conduct of Research Training
• Study sites

Ethical Issues, Cont.

• Non-English-speaking clients
• Protecting identities
• Incentives for participation
• Counselors as facilitators
• Audio taping sessions
• Data safety monitoring plan

Importance of Results

• Practice
• Future Research
• Policy

References

• Fischer, B., Chin, A. T., Kuo, I., Kirst, M., & Vlahov, D. (2002). Canadian illicit opiate users' views on methadone and other opiate prescription treatment: An exploratory qualitative study. Substance Use & Misuse, 37(4), 495-522

References

• Studer, Q. (2003). Hardwiring Excellence. Gulf Breeze: Studer Group, LLC.
• White, W. (1998). Slaying the dragon: The history of addiction treatment and recovery in America. Bloomington: Chestnut Health Systems/Lighthouse Institute.

Questions?