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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2012, 14, 4 (pages: 39 - 50)

Outcomes of opioid-dependence treatment across Europe: identifying opportunities for improvement

Fischer G., Nava F., Stöver H.

Summary: TeThe European Quality Audit of Opioid Treatment (EQUATOR) analysis suggests that current systems of opioid-dependence treatment in Europe may be failing to achieve optimal outcomes in a substantial subset of patients. In general, opioid-dependent patients report high rates of cycling in and out of opioid maintenance treatment (OMT), past misuse or diversion of their medication, and continued on-top heroin use despite being prescribed OMT. Building on evidence from this analysis of variable treatment delivery across Europe, these findings suggest that greater treatment benefits could be achieved by optimising treatment structures as well as available interventions. xt