This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Studies on treatment for drug use
30/07/2002
Two research studies looking at treatment and service
provision for drug users were published by the Executive
today as part of its Drug Misuse Research Programme.
Commenting on the reports, the Deputy Minister for
Justice, Dr Richard Simpson, said:
"I very much welcome these important studies. They
provide robust evidence on the role and effectiveness of
treatment for opiate users. I'm also pleased to say that
they support our current approach to treating opiate users
in Scotland. They also help us to identify ways to further
improve treatment programmes."
The first report is a systematic review of the
international evidence on treatment for opiate dependents.
This was conducted by a team from the Department of General
Practice and Primary Care and the Health Economics Research
Unit (HERU) at the University of Aberdeen.
The review supports the widespread availability and use
of methadone maintenance therapy across Scotland. The
review also points to other effective options for treating
opiate dependents, including the wider use of buprenorphine
prescribing among those with lower levels of opiate
dependency, and the inclusion of psychological and
psychosocial interventions in treatment provision.
The second report is a survey of NHS services for opiate
dependents in Scotland. The research team was led by the
Health Services Research Unit (HSRU) at the University of
Aberdeen. The team interviewed clinicians from across
Scotland.
The survey shows that methadone prescribing is conducted
in all NHS Board areas of Scotland. Small amounts of
dihydrocodeine and buprenorphine prescribing were also
evident. There is particular interest among clinicians in
looking at the potential contribution of buprenorphine
prescribing. The availability of psychological
interventions and the use of alternative therapies were
variable. However, there was interest among clinicians in
developing these further.
The survey also shows that the UK Guidelines on Clinical
Management of Drug Misuse and Dependence are recognised,
welcomed and used by professionals, and that they commonly
form the basis of local service protocols. However, there
is scope for local prescribing practices to be more
flexible in order to expand the range of effective options
available to drug users identified in the systematic
review.
These studies will also feed into work currently being
undertaken by the Scottish Executive to develop integrated
care for drug users. Integrated care aims to combine and
co-ordinate all the services and interventions required to
meet the assessed needs of the individual. An effective
integrated care system should help reduce the harm
associated with drug misuse for individuals, families and
communities. The report on integrated care will be
published in October 2002.
The findings from these studies will be widely
disseminated on 30th July 2002 to Drug Action Teams, NHS
Boards, Social Work Departments, NHS Trusts and voluntary
sector providers among others. These studies will also
inform the development of the Scottish Executive Drug
Misuse Research Programme.
The studies were commissioned by the Scottish Executives
Effective Interventions Unit which has a remit to identify
good practice in a range of topics in the drug misuse field
including prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and
availability.