Treatment entry among individuals on a waiting list for methadone maintenance.
BACKGROUND
Many methadone programs in the United States have waiting lists for care.


OBJECTIVE
To examine specific predictors of treatment entry among individuals on a waiting list for methadone maintenance.


METHODS
Heroin users placed on a waiting list for methadone treatment (n = 120) were administered a urine screen for drug use and assessed with a battery of measures at study entry and at 4 month follow-up as part of a larger clinical trial. Logistic regression was used to examine hypothesized predictors of treatment entry. Outcomes for those failing to enter treatment were also examined.


RESULTS
Only 25 individuals (20.8%) entered treatment within four months of being placed on a waiting list. Intravenous drug users were more likely to enter treatment (p <.05) whereas cocaine users were less likely to do so (p <.01). Motivation did not predict treatment entry, and cocaine use did not moderate this relationship. There were some improvements in heroin use among those who did not enter treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Additional research is needed on the relationship between motivation and treatment entry. Programs may need to make special efforts to facilitate entry for treatment-seeking heroin users who also use cocaine.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings have implications for improving access to methadone treatment.
Gryczynski
Jan
J
Friends Research Institute, Inc., Social Research Center, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA. jgryczynski@frisrc.org
Schwartz
Robert
R
O'Grady
Kevin
K
Jaffe
Jerome
J
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010343:Patient Admission; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012931:Social Environment; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014850:Waiting Lists
D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D008691:Methadone