Trakakis Anastasios, Theocharis Athanasios, Prezerakos Panagiotis
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Peloponnese, 22100 Tripoli, Greece.
National Organization for Prevention and Addiction Treatment (NOPAT), 10433 Athens, Greece.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Apr 19;13(8):943. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13080943.
This study examined shifts in the productivity and efficiency of Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST) units in Greece from 2019 to 2022. OST units address withdrawal symptoms in individuals discontinuing psychoactive substances. They also offer mental health care, primary healthcare, psychosocial support, and other integrated services, aiming to provide holistic addiction treatment and promote social reintegration.
We assessed the contributions of 54 OST units addressing opioid addiction using non-parametric Malmquist Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Data were collected from all OST units operating in Greece during this period, with a focus on key external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and rising global trends in stimulant and synthetic opioid use.
The analysis revealed a productivity decline in 2020, followed by improvements in the next two years. However, technical efficiency declined, suggesting a decrease in resource utilization.
This dip in efficiency likely reflects the impact of emerging drug trends, particularly stimulants and synthetic opioids, which lack standardized treatment protocols. These findings highlight the urgent need for new treatment options to address evolving addiction trends. The study also underscored the need for improved data collection and monitoring to optimize resource allocation and enhance operational efficiency in OST units. Strengthening evidence-based policies and expanding access with low-threshold treatment services could improve patient outcomes and the overall effectiveness of OST programs.
本研究考察了2019年至2022年希腊阿片类药物替代治疗（OST）单位的生产率和效率变化。OST单位负责处理停止使用精神活性物质的个体的戒断症状。它们还提供心理健康护理、初级医疗保健、心理社会支持及其他综合服务，旨在提供全面的成瘾治疗并促进社会重新融入。
我们使用非参数Malmquist数据包络分析（DEA）评估了54个针对阿片类药物成瘾的OST单位的贡献。数据收集自该时期在希腊运营的所有OST单位，重点关注关键外部因素，如新冠疫情以及全球兴奋剂和合成阿片类药物使用的上升趋势。
分析显示2020年生产率下降，随后两年有所改善。然而，技术效率下降，表明资源利用减少。
效率的下降可能反映了新兴药物趋势的影响，特别是缺乏标准化治疗方案的兴奋剂和合成阿片类药物。这些发现凸显了迫切需要新的治疗选择来应对不断变化的成瘾趋势。该研究还强调了改善数据收集和监测以优化资源分配并提高OST单位运营效率的必要性。加强循证政策并扩大低门槛治疗服务的可及性可改善患者结局及OST项目的整体效果。
