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Drug Addiction Improvement of Substitution Therapy planned
According to the plans of the Federal Government, the treatment of drug addicts should be comprehensively modernized, whereby an extension of the possibilities for so-called substitution therapy (treatment with substitutes) is also provided for, reports the daily newspaper "Die Welt", citing an internal key issues paper of the Federal Ministry of Health.
According to this, dependents of hard drugs should have better access to alternative drugs in the future, and nursing staff in nursing homes should also be allowed to administer the substances for substitution therapy. Furthermore, a release of this treatment for inpatient rehab facilities and health departments is provided. In addition, it is clear from the internal key issues paper of the Federal Ministry of Health that other legal requirements are to be relaxed, reports "Welt Online".
Substitution therapy for drug addicts
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, substitution therapy is "the first choice for opiate addiction." These are associated with psychosocial care and are carried out in specialized outpatient facilities or by general practitioners. Methadone is the most commonly prescribed drug. This is followed by buprenorphine. Existing data suggest that "opioid replacement therapy combined with psychosocial care should be used to keep patients under treatment and reduce illegal opioid use as well as drug-related harm and death," reports the Federal Ministry of Health. In addition, substitution treatment has been shown to improve quality of life and facilitate social reintegration.
Substitution therapy offers help to drug addicts without forcibly targeting complete abstinence. Picture: eytronic / fotolia Prescription of substitutes will be relaxed
The plans of the Federal Government also provide for a loosening of the prescriptions for the prescription of substances to patients for self-administration, reports "World Online". So far, the patients would have received only a prescription for the needs of a maximum of seven days, if they had advanced in their therapy so far that when taking the substances no specialist supervision was required. In the future, a prescription should be allowed by the doctor for the need of up to 30 days. The doctor must prescribe on the prescription, however, that the pharmacy gives the substances only in individual subsets to the patient.
More scope for the German Medical Association
The easing of the requirements to promote the reintegration of addicts in a self-determined life, reports "World Online", citing the key issues paper of the Federal Ministry of Health. In the end, the envisaged changes in narcotics legislation should also improve the care of patients in rural areas. According to the plans of the Federal Government, the German Medical Association is granted far-reaching scope for independent detailed regulations on drug replacement therapy in the guidelines of the medical profession, according to "Welt Online". In this way, the treatment goals and other details could be "developed faster and more flexibly" than by law, "World Online" quotes the Ministry paper.
Reform of narcotics legislation has long been called for
The reform of the narcotics law has long been urged by doctors and search experts for some time, not least because here in the drug replacement therapy in part, there is a legal gray area, which makes it difficult for physicians adequate care of those affected. The goal of the therapy must not necessarily be a abstinence from drugs, but the substitution therapy is often only intended to improve the general state of health and the social situation of those affected. Substitution therapy can also contribute to curbing procurement crime and prostitution. It also helps to avoid the consequences of using contaminated syringes and drugs. A detection system will ensure that patients do not secretly go to different doctors to have multiple prescriptions prescribed at the same time. According to "Welt Online", about 77,500 so-called substitution patients were officially registered in the middle of last year. In the future, they could clearly benefit from the planned changes to the Federal Government, although the present key issues paper still needs to be coordinated with experts and representatives of the federal states. (Fp)