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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2012, 14, 4 (pages: 7 - 22)

The profile of patients, out-of-treatment users and treating physicians involved in opioid maintenance treatment in Europe

Goulão J., Stöver H.

Summary: Opioid users often cycle in and out of opioid maintenance treatment (OMT), consistent with opioid dependence being a chronic, relapsing condition. Results from the European Quality Audit of Opioid Treatment (EQUATOR), the largest analysis of OMT undertaken in Europe to date, revealed similar demographic profiles for patients in OMT and out-of-treatment opioid users (most of whom have been in OMT previously). Demographic profiles appeared relatively consistent across all 10 participating countries. Overall, EQUATOR data suggest that the healthcare setting for OMT is far more varied than the demographics of the OMT patient population, supporting the idea that variability in treatment outcomes is unlikely to be related to the clinical characteristics of patients but rather to other ‘environmental' factors.