Department of Biomedical Sciences, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon.
Observatory of Public Policies and Health, Beirut, Lebanon.
Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2018 Apr 19;13(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s13011-018-0151-8.
Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) has been implemented for the treatment of individuals with opioid use disorders in Lebanon since 2011, but has not been evaluated yet. The aim of the study is to describe the implementation of the first pilot OAT program in Lebanon from the users' perspective.
Data collectors gathered data from male participants during June 2016-July 2016. Eighty-one out of 94 patients agreed to participate in the study. Data regarding access to treatment, satisfaction with the treatment protocol and treatment outcomes, patient-provider relationship, and misuse and diversion was collected through semi-structured qualitative interviews. Data saturation was reached after 81 interviews; once no new themes were reported.
Findings showed inequalities in access to treatment and showed that OAT improved mental and social wellbeing among users who had financial access and complied with the program protocols. Registering in the program protected users from arrest and reduced their economic burden. Among the main encountered challenges were fear of dependence to buprenorphine, restricted geographical access to treatment, misuse and diversion of buprenorphine.
Results implicate inequalities in access to OAT as one important gap to be tackled in the management of OAT in Lebanon. Further research should be done in order to understand the challenges in the implementation of the program from the providers' perspectives.
自 2011 年以来，在黎巴嫩，阿片类药物激动剂疗法（OAT）已被用于治疗阿片类药物使用障碍患者，但尚未对此进行评估。本研究旨在从使用者的角度描述黎巴嫩第一个试点 OAT 项目的实施情况。
数据收集员于 2016 年 6 月至 7 月期间从男性参与者那里收集数据。94 名患者中有 81 名同意参与研究。通过半结构化定性访谈收集了关于治疗途径、对治疗方案和治疗结果的满意度、医患关系以及药物滥用和转用的数据。在 81 次访谈后达到数据饱和，即没有新的主题出现。
研究结果显示，在获得治疗方面存在不平等现象，并且 OAT 改善了有经济能力并遵守项目方案的使用者的心理和社会福利。参加该计划可以保护使用者免受逮捕，并减轻他们的经济负担。主要遇到的挑战包括对丁丙诺啡产生依赖的恐惧、接受治疗的地理限制以及丁丙诺啡的滥用和转用。
研究结果表明，获得 OAT 的机会不平等是黎巴嫩 OAT 管理中需要解决的一个重要差距。为了了解提供者在实施该方案方面遇到的挑战，应该进一步进行研究。
