Quality of life profile of methadone maintenance treatment patients in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

ABSTRACT

Aim

To determine the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of methadone maintenance treatment patients in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Subject and Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 967 patients being treated at two methadone clinics in Ho Chi Minh City, in 2018. Patient’s HRQoL was estimated using the EQ-5D-5L and Visual analogue scale (VAS). Tobit regressions were used to identify factors related to patient’s HRQoL. 

Results

Overall, the mean EQ-5D-5L utility and EQ-VAS indexes were 0.96 (SD = 0.12) and 75.8 (SD=15.5), respectively. Higher EQ-5D-5L score were found in single patients, and have a higher monthly income, while patients aged under 30 years old, have full-time employment, and have higher education were associated with a higher EQ-VAS score. HIV was associated with lower scores of both EQ-5D-5L and EQ-VAS (□ = -0.07 (95%CI: -0.13; -0.01), and □ = -7.10 (95%CI: -9.23; -4.98), respectively).         

Conclusion

HRQoL measurement provides valuable information for the policymaker to adopt suitable decisions on opioid dependence treatment. The finding shows education, employment, and socioeconomic status are the related elements with higher HRQoL, which suggested that the policymakers and physicians should pay more attention to these aspects while working on treatment plans for drug users.

KEYWORDS:

• HRQoL
• methadone maintenance treatment
• quality of life
• Vietnam

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all MMT patients who participated in this study, colleagues in the South Vietnam HIV Addiction Technology Transfer Center and Ho Chi Minh City HIV/AIDS Center, District 4 and District 8 MMT clinics for supporting this research.

Authors’ contributions

VTT: Conducted data analysis and result explanation, drafted the manuscript

LNT: Collected the data, conducted data analysis and result explanation, drafted the manuscript KQL: Designed the study, conducted data analysis and result explanation, provided editorial input VTTV: Designed the study, provided editorial input

LHTCH: Participated in study design, provided editorial input TTTV: Participated in study design, provided editorial input DVD: Participated in study design, provided editorial input

All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of The Institution Review Board of Ho Chi Minh City HIV/AIDS Center (IRB-02-2018, dated 10/08/2018). All participants provided signed informed consent.

Data availability statement

Available upon request to the corresponding author.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the South Vietnam HIV Addiction Technology Transfer Center and Ho Chi Minh City HIV/AIDS Center