How do we know if we do not ask?

~ Jason Schwartz

 

listenRecovery Science shared a couple of qualitative studies on the experiences of MAT patients.

The first identified 7 themes:

  1. Patients may not be aware of treatment alternatives
  2. Treatment expectations and goals may differ between clinicians and patients
  3. Prior experiences with buprenorphine or methadone influence treatment decisions and expectations
  4. Accountability and structure facilitate treatment engagement for some, create barriers for others
  5. Desire, among some, to avoid methadone clinics or associated stigma
  6. Fear of continued addiction and perceived difficulty of withdrawal among people who have a goal to be drug-free
  7. Among patients with chronic pain, pain control is an important consideration

The second identified 4 themes:

  1. the loss of hope,
  2. trapped in OMT,
  3. substitution treatment is not enough, and
  4. stigmatization of identity.

Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.