Treatment Satisfaction Among Clients Enrolled in Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) Program in Myanmar: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract BackgroundTo address the long-standing opioid abuse problem, Myanmar has established the methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program in 2006. This study aims to determine client’s treatment satisfaction towards MMT program in Myanmar. MethodA total of 210 clients who have registered in MMT program with a minimum of six-month treatment history were recruited for this cross-sectional study across Myanmar. The Verona Service Satisfaction Scale for Methadone-Treatment (VSSS-MT) was administered to objectively measure methadone treatment satisfaction. ResultThe majority (89%, n=186) were satisfied with the current methadone treatment program. Specifically, 89.5% (n=187) claimed to be highly satisfied with the clinic staff professional skills (e.g. doctor, nurse, etc.), (91.9%, n=192) satisfied with the basic interventions (instruction between visits, side-effects etc.), and (74.6%, n=156) satisfied with specific interventions (e.g. individual rehabilitation and psychotherapy, group therapy etc.) categories. Among the different characteristics of the respondents, higher quality of life on physical, psychological, social and environmental categories, respondents who satisfied on current marital status and current leisure status, respondents who were on alcohol were associated with higher treatment satisfaction on methadone (p<0.05). The result of stepwise binary logistic regression showed alcohol use and physical health had significantly association with treatment satisfaction.ConclusionDespite the high methadone treatment satisfaction, treatment providers must make an attempt to address service limitations in order to maintain clients’ participation in MMT program especially for specific intervention categories (e.g. individual rehabilitation and psychotherapy, group therapy etc).