Factors Associated with Compliance among Methadone Maintenance Treatment Transfers: Evidence from Audit Records at Clinics in Guangdong, China

Cheng Gong, Xia Zou, Wen Chen, Yin Liu, Qian Lu and Li Ling
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Cheng Gong: Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Xia Zou: Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Wen Chen: Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Yin Liu: Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Qian Lu: Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Li Ling: Department of Medical Statistics, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-10

Abstract: Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) requires patients to intake their daily dose in person at their clinic. Therefore, transfer services are vital for patients who need temporary leave from their primary MMT clinic. However, studies have shown that transfer patients might delay return after temporary leave, leading to missed doses and putting them at risk of increased harm. In this study, we aimed to explore the transfer rates and factors associated with MMT patients who delayed return during a transfer period. In this retrospective analysis, we used audit records from the web-based management system from six MMT clinics in Guangdong, China. Multilevel logistic regression and multilevel Poisson regression analyses were used to examine the factors associated with patients who delayed return to their primary MMT clinic. A total of 459 people used the transfer system 2940 times between January 2006 and December 2016. Of those, patients delayed return to their primary MMT clinic 1199 times (40.78%). Patients who transferred regularly had poor compliance rates with MMT treatment. Those who once dropped out from and then re-enrolled in MMT were more likely to delay return. Most patients (82.71%) who used the transfer service for “work” were more likely to prolong their delay length. The findings highlight that a more flexible transfer system would minimize inconvenience to the patients.

Keywords: methadone maintenance treatment; opioid dependence; transfer; service; delayed treatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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