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We analysed the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of the methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) programme in HIV prevention and treatment among injection drug users (DUs) in Vietnam. The costs and health outcomes of providing MMT for opioid-dependent DUs versus non-MMT were estimated using a decision analytical model. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis using Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to justify uncertainties of model parameters simultaneously. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of MMT in HIV prevention was US$3324 per one averted HIV case. The decision model showed that the cost-effectiveness ratio of MMT and non-MMT strategies was US$480 and US$204 per 1 quality-adjusted life year (QALY), equivalent to 0.43 and 0.18 times the gross domestic product per capita (GDPpc). The ICER for MMT versus non-MMT strategy was US$1964, approximately 1.76 times the GDPpc/QALY, classifying MMT as a cost-effective intervention. At the willingness to pay threshold of three times the GDPpc, the probability of MMT and non-MMT strategies being cost-effective was 80.3 and 19.7%, respectively. The budget impact of scaling up MMT from 2011 to 2015 will be US$97 million for 65% coverage or US$49 million for treating 80,000 DUs. The results indicated that MMT was cost-effective in HIV prevention and treatment among DUs who were opioid dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding gender-specific predictors of Health-related Quality of Life (HRQL) outcomes of HIV/AIDS treatment is necessary in the latent feminization of HIV epidemics in Vietnam. This study assessed HRQL and its predictors among men and women with HIV/AIDS. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 155 patients (36.8% women, mean age=31.4) registering for antiretroviral treatment (ART) at Vietnam-Sweden Uong Bi General Hospital, Quang Ninh Province. The Vietnamese version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life HIV brief version (WHOQOL-HIV BREF) was developed. Factor analysis was applied to assess the construct validity of the measurement. Six major domains of the Vietnamese WHOQOL-HIV BREF were determined, namely physical; performance; morbidity; environment; psychological; and social support. Internal consistency reliability of the six domains ranged from 0.52 to 0.71. Multivariate linear regression models, constructed using step-wise forward selection, determined different predictors of HRQL domain scores in men and women with HIV/AIDS. The results showed that men reported higher scores or better in Morbidity (p=0.02), Environment (p=0.07) and Psychological dimensions (p=0.02); meanwhile, women had higher scores in Performance (p=0.09). Alcohol and injection drug use negatively predicted HRQL outcomes in both men and women. Employment was associated with better performance in men, and better physical but poorer environment status in women. Female patients who have a child experienced decrements in social support, psychological, environment, and performance. Findings of this study highlight the need to develop comprehensive interventions for HIV/AIDS patients, including HIV/AIDS treatment support and gender-specific impact mitigation interventions strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is efficacious in reducing drug use that may improve HIV/AIDS care and treatment outcomes. This study evaluated the incremental cost-effectiveness of MMT for HIV-positive drug users from the perspective of health service providers. A sample of 370 HIV-positive drug users (age: mean±SD: 29.5±5.9 years; 95.7% male) taking MMT in multi-sites was assessed at baseline, three, six and nine months. Costs of MMT services were analyzed and converted to the year 2009. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were modeled from changes in health-related quality of life of patients using the modified World Health Organization Quality of Life – Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF). Inverse probability-of-treatment weights, constructed using propensity score of non-responses, were applied to adjust for potential confounding. Over nine months, MMT substantially improved QALYs of HIV/AIDS patients (0.076 QALY [0.066–0.084]). The increments in QALY were large and stabilized in those patients taking antiretroviral treatment and abstinent to drug use. For one QALY gained, the MMT program would cost US$3745.3, approximately 3.2 times Vietnam GDP per capita in 2009. The cost-effectiveness of MMT intervention was robust against HIV advanced status or co-morbidity, e.g., TB treatment, but it might not be cost-effective for those patients who continued to use drug. Findings of this study indicate that providing MMT for HIV-positive drug users is a cost-effective intervention in Vietnam. Integrating MMT to HIV/AIDS care and treatment services would be beneficial in injection-driven HIV epidemics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is a good indicator to monitor and evaluate healthcare services for adults with HIV/AIDS. This study described HRQL of adults with HIV and its determinants, and compared it with HRQL for the general population. A cross-sectional study with a national multistage sampling of households with and without HIV-positive people was conducted in 2008. Six provinces were purposively selected to represent areas of the country and progressions of HIV epidemics. Households were sampled with probability-proportional-to-size, following the selection of rural and urban districts. A total of 820 HIV-positive and HIV-negative adults (mean age: 32.5; 38.7% female) were interviewed. Among 400 HIV-positive people, 52.3% had a history of injecting drugs, and 56.3% were at AIDS stage and receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART). HRQL was measured using the EuroQOL five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D). Multiple regression models were purposefully constructed to examine the determinants of HRQL. The EQ-5D index and visual analog scale (VAS) score in less advanced HIV people (0.90, 69.3) and AIDS patients (0.88, 65.2) were significantly lower than those of the general population (0.96, 81.6) (p<0.001). The frequency of reported problems across EQ-5D dimensions in the HIV population (2.4-30.9%) was significantly higher than in the general population (0.7-12.1%). Compared to ART patients, those at earlier HIV stages reported having problems at similar proportions across four HRQL dimensions, except pain/discomfort, where ART patients had a significantly higher proportion. Injecting drug users taking ART perceived lower HRQL score than non-injecting drug users. Multiple regression determined that joblessness (p<0.01) and inaccessibility to health services (p<0.05) were associated with lower HRQL. In addition, involvements in self-help groups significantly improved HRQL among HIV-positive participants (p<0.05). The findings highlight the need to improve the health service referral system and enhance psychological and social supports for patients in early stages of HIV infection in Vietnam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]