engleski

Regulation of opioid addicted patients' rights to treatment in Croatia - between the law and reality

INTRODUCTION Patients' rights, including the rights of opioid addicted individuals who are being treated for opioid addiction, are regulated by the Act on the Protection of Patients' Rights. Also, National Strategy for Suppression of Drug Abuse in the Republic of Croatia, which was approved by the Croatian Parliament in 1995, is a basic national policy document for the control and suppression of opioid drug abuse and treatment of individuals addicted to opioids. The treatment is based on the Guidelines for the Use of Methadone in the Substitution Therapy of Opiate Drug Users and the Guidelines for the Use of Buprenorphine in the Substitution Therapy of Opiate Drug Users which was accepted by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in 2006. However, although a significant step in the direction of the legislation of opioid addicted patients’ right has been made, legislation alone does still not have a significant effect on the actual position of opioid addicted patients in Croatia because their knowledge about their rights is still poor. The purpose of this survey is to estimate the knowledge of opioid addicted patients about the Croatian legislation and to compare the Croatian legislation and the international ethical recommendation for the treatment of opioid addiction. METHOD A cross-sectional, descriptive study was performed in the beginning of 2010. The patients’ knowledge about regulation on their right to the treatment of opioid addiction was surveyed. Opioid addicted patients who were treated in centers for outpatient treatment of addiction in Croatia were asked to fill in an anonymous questionnaire. Also, we briefly reviewed the Croatian legislation on the treatment of opioid addiction and compared it with the international ethical recommendation for the treatment of opioid addiction. RESULTS The analysis of the Guidelines showed the most important elements of informed consent: treatment targets, diagnostic criteria, type of program, indication for each, rules and regulations. This is in accordance with the Act on the Protection of Patients' Rights and international ethical recommendation to treatment of opioid addiction. Of 431 patients who filled in the questionnaire only 52% have heard of the Act on The Protection of Patients’ Right. Only 26% of the patients have heard of the Guidelines. CONCLUSION Although a lot was done toward the regulation of the right to treatment for opioid addicted patients in Croatia, the legislation is just one of the many elements in the process of protecting and improving patients’ rights, that is their human rights. Better information and education of patients is crucial to improving human rights in everyday life.

addiction; opioids; treatment; legislation; Croatia

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