The International journal on drug policy
-
Int. J. Drug Policy · Sep 2010
ReviewQuality of life among opiate-dependent individuals: A review of the literature.
Quality of life (QoL) has become an important outcome indicator in health care evaluation. A clear distinction has to be made between QoL - focussing on individuals' subjective satisfaction with life as a whole and different life domains - and health-related QoL (HRQoL), which refers to the absence of pathology. As opiate dependence is the primary drug of most persons entering treatment and as the attention for QoL in addiction research is growing, this review of the literature intends to summarise and differentiate the available information on QoL in opiate-dependent individuals. ⋯ Still, the chronic nature of drug use problems creates the necessity to look at outcomes beyond the direct consequences of drug dependence and based on clients' needs. HRQoL, with its unilateral focus on the functional status of clients, does not give information on clients' own experiences about the goodness of life, and is as a consequence unsuitable for measuring QoL. Future research starting from a subjective, multidimensional approach of the concept of QoL is required.
-
Int. J. Drug Policy · Sep 2010
ReviewScaling up methadone maintenance treatment for opioid-dependent prisoners in Iran.
Research evidence indicates that prisoners in Iran are at risk of drug-related harm, including acquisition of blood-borne infections. In response, several prevention interventions including methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) have been introduced into prisons in Iran. ⋯ Experiences in Iran suggest that access to MMT would be helpful for reducing illicit drug injection in a prison setting and can be considered as a major intervention for preventing the transmission of blood-borne infections among prisoners.
-
Int. J. Drug Policy · Sep 2010
Older and sicker: Changing mortality of drug users in treatment in the North West of England.
The study examines the age at which drug users die and ascertains whether there is a significant difference in the causes of death ('drug related' versus 'non-drug related') according to age. ⋯ Current focus on drug related deaths detracts attention from other causes; in particular, the types of death which disproportionately affect older drug users. Ongoing debates about reintegration into society and employment presuppose that drug users are of working age and are healthy enough to work.