Lashkaripour Kobra, Bakhshani Nour Mohammad, Sadjadi Sayed Alireza.
Quality of life in patients on methadone maintenance treatment: a three-month assessment.
J Pak Med Assoc Jan ;62(10):1003-7.

Objective: To examine the 3-month effect of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) on quality of life (QOL) of substance-dependent outpatients in Iran. Methods: The qausi-experimental study performed at the Oral Maintenance Methadone Treatment Clinic of the Baharan Psychiatric Hospital, a university hospital in Zahedan, southeast of Iran, from 2009 to 2010. One hundred patients with substance-dependence disorder were recruited from the outpatient clinic. Quality of life parametres were measured through the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale (WHO QOL-BREF) prior to the treatment, and 1, 2 and 3 months after starting the treatment in order to assess changes in the Quality of Life across the treatment period. Repeated measurement analysis was used for data analysis. Results: Of the 100 subjects initially recruited, 83 (83%) completed the study period. The total Quality of Life score improved from pre-treatment to the first month into treatment. The improvement was maintained at the 2-month and 3-month points (P<.05). According to the World Health Organization subscales, the treatment was effective in improving physical and social relationship domains over time (P<.05), but there were no significant improvements in psychological and environmental domains. Conclusions: Oral methadone maintenance treatment was effective in improving the overall Quality of Life during the first three months of treatment in substance-dependent outpatients.

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