Quality of life profile of methadone maintenance treatment patients in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Aim: To determine the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of methadone maintenance treatment patients in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Subject and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 967 patients being treated at two methadone clinics in Ho Chi Minh City, in 2018. Patient's HRQoL was estimated using the EQ-5D-5L and Visual analogue scale (VAS). Tobit regressions were used to identify factors related to patient's HRQoL. Results: Overall, the mean EQ-5D-5L utility and EQ-VAS indexes were 0.96 (SD = 0.12) and 75.8 (SD=15.5), respectively. Higher EQ-5D-5L score were found in single patients, and have a higher monthly income, while patients aged under 30 years old, have full-time employment, and have higher education were associated with a higher EQ-VAS score. HIV was associated with lower scores of both EQ-5D-5L and EQ-VAS (□ =-0.07 (95%CI:-0.13;-0.01), and □ =-7.10 (95%CI:-9.23;-4.98), respectively). Conclusion: HRQoL measurement provides valuable information for the policymaker to adopt suitable decisions on opioid dependence treatment. The finding shows education, employment, and socioeconomic status are the related elements with higher HRQoL, which suggested that the policymakers and physicians should pay more attention to these aspects while working on treatment plans for drug users.