We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.
Buprenorphine-Naloxone Treatment in Physicians and Nurses With Opioid Dependence
María Dolores Braquehais , Christian Fadeuilhe , Anders Håkansson , Miquel Jordi Bel , María Cecilia Navarro , Carlos Roncero , Eugeni Bruguera , Miquel Casas
Substance Abuse
Vol. 36, Iss. 2, 2015
Opioid maintenance treatment in physicians returning to work has been debated and data on this type of treatment for opioid–dependence in health professionals are lacking. Although buprenorphine-naloxone treatment is well-documented in other groups of patients, this work is – to the best of the authors’ knowledge – the first description of cases where physicians or nurses with opioid-dependence are treated with buprenorphine-naloxone maintenance. Our findings suggest that maintenance treatment with buprenorphine-naloxone may be a feasible and an effective option in the treatment of health care professionals with opioid dependence. Its benefits on cognitive functioning compared to methadone should be considered in this specific professional group aiming to go back to work. Our preliminary experience suggests further systematic and controlled trials to prove the benefits of this treatment in this specific patient group.