Effectiveness of text message reminder and motivational interview on adherence to methadone treatment in Vietnam: a randomized controlled trial

Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is effective for treating opioid dependence. However, nonadherence can increase the risk of withdrawal syndrome, relapse, and overdose. A community-based randomized controlled trial was conducted on 450 opioid-dependent patients undergoing MMT at three clinics in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Patients were randomly allocated into three groups including control, text message reminder (TMR), and motivational interview (MI). Treatment adherence was assessed every 3 months, including complete adherence, consecutive adherence, and weekend adherence. After 6 months, the MI group had significantly higher complete adherence than the control group (RR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.09-1.69). The TMR group showed higher complete adherence at 3 months (RR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.02-1.58) and 6 months (RR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.06-1.56) compared to the control group. Weekend adherence in the TMR group was higher than the control group after 6 months (RR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.07-1.31). MI and TMR effectively improved treatment adherence, particularly complete adherence. Therefore, this study suggests the potential of these two methods in enhancing adherence among MMT patients in Vietnam.