Improvement of quality of life in methadone treatment patients in northern Taiwan: a follow-up study

BACKGROUND This study examined long-term improvement of quality of life amongst heroin users enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). METHODS The sample contained 553 heroin-dependent individuals from 4 hospitals in northern Taiwan who enrolled in MMT for an average of 184 days. Each patient signed a consent form and was assessed prospectively 3 times semi-annually. Quality of life was measured using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire, 26 items of which were scored by the participants. The WHOQOL-BREF consists of four domains: physical, psychological, social, and environmental. 285 and 155 participants completed 6-month and 12-month follow-ups respectively. RESULTS After controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics, there were statistically significant improvements in the psychological and environmental domains between baseline and 6 months. Significant improvements were found in psychological and social domains between baseline and 12 months. CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that methadone maintenance treatment improves heroin users' long-term quality of life in the psychological and social relationship domains.