In Trial, Addicts Choose to Receive Their Methadone in Medical Setting
Study of providing methadone maintenance in primary care
From September 1998 through April 2002, researchers at the University of Washington, in collaboration with a substance abuse treatment provider and a general medical clinic, created and evaluated a program in which heroin addicts received methadone maintenance medication and primary care services from a physician based at a medical clinic rather than at a substance abuse treatment program.
The project was part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's (RWJF) national Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (SAPRP) (for more information see Program Results).
Key Results:
- This project represented the first methadone maintenance program in the country to operate in conjunction with regular medical treatment and that did not involve securing special federal permission given only to research projects.
- Of 28 patients enrolled in the program, all remained for the full year, all indicated they preferred receiving methadone in a medical setting and 26 had all-negative urinalysis results throughout the program.
Substance Abuse Policy Research Program Project Results
Individual project results from the RWJF initiative, Substance Abuse Policy Research Program
Read the Program Results for Substance Abuse Policy Research Program View all