Autonomous Methadone Delivery System by Nurses

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

DIADEME strategy: This strategy consists of implementing the standardized DIADEME protocol. It, in line with best practice recommendations, enables nurses to adjust methadone dosage on the basis of a clinical assessment scheme incorporating opioid withdrawal and overdosing and includes: * initial medical consultation with the hospital practitioner for an addictology and psychiatry assessment, OUD assessment, and initial prescription of methadone for 3 months * ECG prior to any methadone prescription, hepatitis B, C, HIV testing may be offered, and an emergency NALOXONE kit will be given to the patient or prescribed * follow-up consultations with an nurse at least every 7 days, and more frequently if necessary.Dosages can be adjusted by the nurse on the basis of the standardized DIADEME protocol * medical consultation are only in the event of major withdrawal symptoms or overdosing or in the event of any incident not covered by the protocol and warranting rapid medical advice or at the patient's request

Controle strategy: The control strategy corresponds to standard practice guidelines for patients suffering from drug addiction, with the care pathway provided by the hospital practitioner, assisted by the nursing team.

Individual semi directive interview: Individual semi-directive interviews with a sample of patients from the DIADEME group (2 to 3 volunteer patients per CSAPA for a total of 20 to 30 interviews) will be conducted by a research psychologist and carried out at one month after the end of follow-up (3 months). Themes covered will include: commitment to care, patient/professional relationship, understanding of follow-up and treatment, experience of care and services at the addictology center, satisfaction with services received, level of response to expectations). Individual semi-directive interviews with a sample of healthcare professionals focus group will be also conducted by a research psychologist and carried out after the last patient has been included in the center. The aim will be to understand the effects of the intervention and identify its impact on professionals and the organization of the centers.

Study summary

Initiations of methadone treatment for opiode use disorder (OUD) are carried out in France in specialized centers, known as centers for care, support and prevention in addictology (CSAPA) In this way, hospital practitioners initiate the prescription of methadone, which is delivered on the spot by the nursing team. CSAPA nurses, and addictology nurses more generally, have a real range of skills which can include adapting treatment doses according to a protocol pre-established in a team, and medically validated (French law no. 2019-774 of July 24, 2019 relating to the organization and transformation of the healthcare system).

The methadone speciality used for initiation in CSAPAs is almost always the syrup form. The capsule form can only be used after one year's treatment, unless exceptionally authorized by the medical officer of the French National Health Insurance Fund. However, regulations stipulate that the prescription of methadone syrup must be renewed every fourteen days, which in theory means that a CSAPA doctor must see the patient at least twice a month to renew the prescription, throughout the entire course of treatment.

In practice, medical resources are often not sufficient for patients to be seen by a doctor at such a rate. Numerous palliative organizations exist, though they remain poorly described and documented. In some centers, doctors focus primarily on initiations, and prescriptions for patients for whom "stability" has been achieved are sometimes renewed for longer periods than fourteen days, with nurses in charge of assessing whether this organization is suitable for the patient. The notion of stability varies significantly from one center to another, and may mean achieving a constant dose, stopping illicit opioid use, or other criteria more focused on the patient's psychosocial reintegration. By outlining the missions of Addictology nurses, and more specifically of CSAPA nurses, the investigators can define the essential skills required of nurses to carry out these missions.

The main hypothesis of the DIADEME study is that semi-autonomous management of methadone treatment initiation by CSAPA nursing teams helps to reinforce adherence to care and thus improve retention rates in the 3 months following initiation.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Patient retention in care — 3 months
  Patient retention in care at 3 months, defined as the last two methadone dispensing appointments honored in the 15 days preceding the end of the study (3 months), in the absence of a documented situation that prevented the patient from honoring his appointments (death, hospitalization, etc.).

Trial sites (8)

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