Substance use among methadone patients in Vietnam: a systematic review

ABSTRACT

Background

Despite the increasing popularity of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in Vietnam, little is known regarding the substance use patterns of Vietnamese MMT patients. With it being almost 15 years since the inception of MMT in Vietnam, it felt timely to undertake a systematic review on this topic.

Objectives

We conducted a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature regarding substance use among MMT patients in Vietnam with three main objectives: 1) identify which types of substances are being used, 2) identify the extent of use (i.e., prevalence), and 3) identify knowledge gaps regarding drug use patterns.

Methods

After systematically searching four bibliographic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and PsycINFO), we included 20 studies involving 6,653 participants, published between 2012-2021 with 14 unique samples.

Results

Findings indicate that, on average, 81% of MMT patients used tobacco, 47% used alcohol, 32% used heroin, 24% engaged in injection drug use, and 12% used illicit drugs.

Conclusion

These results suggest that substance use is an active issue among Vietnamese MMT patients that warrants closer attention. These data can be used by providers to inform which/how interventions are targeted at MMT patients in Vietnam and help lower the number of overdoses seen across the country.

KEYWORDS:

• Methadone treatment
• opioid misuse
• Vietnam
• systematic review
• substance use

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.