Challenges of methadone maintenance treatment decentralisation from Vietnamese primary care providers' perspectives

• DOI: 10.1111/dar.13613
• Publication Date: 2023-02-28T06:39:26Z
• Authors: Diep Bich Nguyen; Trang Thu Nguyen; Chunqing Lin; Thuy Thi Thanh Dinh; Giang Minh Le; Li Li
• Keywords: 610; 8.1 Organisation and delivery of services; primary care providers; Medical and Health Sciences; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Clinical Research; Health Services and Systems; Health Sciences; Opiate Substitution Treatment; Psychology; Humans; Primary Health Care; Psychology and Cognitive Sciences; Politics; Substance Abuse; decentralisation; Health sciences; opioid use disorder; Human society; Health Services; 3. Good health; Good Health and Well Being; methadone maintenance treatment; Studies in Human Society; Vietnam; Generic health relevance; Methadone

AbstractIntroductionDecentralising methadone maintenance treatment to primary care improves patients' access to care and their drug and HIV treatment outcomes. However, primary care providers (PCP), especially those working in limited‐resource settings, are facing great challenges to provide quality methadone treatment. This study explores the challenges perceived by PCP providing methadone treatment at commune health centres in a mountainous region in Vietnam.MethodWe conducted in‐depth interviews with 26 PCP who worked as program managers, physicians, counsellors, pharmacists and medication dispensing staff at the methadone programs of eight commune health centres in Dien Bien, Vietnam, in November and December 2019. We used the health‐care system framework in developing the interview guides and in summarising data themes.ResultsParticipants identified major challenges in providing methadone treatment in commune health centres at the individual, clinic and environmental levels. Individual‐level challenges included a lack of confidence and motivation in providing methadone treatment. Clinic‐level factors included inadequate human resources, lack of institutional support, insufficient technical support, lack of referral resources and additional support for patients. Environment‐level factors comprised a lack of reasonable policies on financial support for providers at commune health centres for providing methadone treatment, lack of regulations and mechanisms to ensure providers' safety in case of potential violence by patients and to share responsibility for overdose during treatment.Discussion and ConclusionPCP in Vietnam faced multi‐level challenges in providing quality methadone treatment. Supportive policies and additional resources are needed to ensure the effectiveness of the decentralisation program.