The “black box” of treatment: Patients’ perspective on what works in opioid maintenance treatment for opioid dependence

Table 1 Characteristics of the study participants

Characteristics	Description
Sex
Male	n = 16 (84.0 %)
Age
Md; IQ_R; Rank	40; 5.75; [28 – 53]
Currently employed
Yes	n = 3 (16.0 %)
Age of first use of NPPS	Between 12 and 15
Length of current treatment
Less than 12 months	n = 4 (21.1 %)
12–24 months	n = 6 (31.6 %)
More than 24 months	n = 9 (47.4 %)
Type of medication
Methadone	n = 6 (31.6 %)
Buprenorphine	n = 13 (68.4 %)
Types of previous treatments^a
Abstinence-oriented	12-Step; Narcotics Anonymous; religious support groups; psychotherapy; detoxification + psychotherapy
OMT	Methadone maintenance; buprenorphine maintenance
Frequency of clinic visits^b	Every second day; every third day; weekly; biweekly

^aAll participants reported having been in at least one type of treatment before the current OMT program; 3 participants reported previous OMT experiences; 17 participants reported having tried abstinence without any support.
^b Participants were given medication to take home for one week or every 2 weeks, but they also visited the clinic for analytical checks, counselling, psychotherapy, and relapse prevention sessions, or just for social relations.

ISSN: 1747-597X