[Care and prevention of drug dependence in primary care]

Evaluate the assistencial drug-dependence program. DESIGN. Transversal retrospective study. Primary care (Unitat de Prevenció i Seguiment de Drogodependéncies). PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS. Sixty patients treated from 23.02.90 to 31.06.91. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS. It was made 165 interviews. Sixty patients were treated: 2 (3.3%) with methadone substitution and 58 (96.6%) started the "drug free program". In this program, 7 (12%) patients accomplished hospital desintoxication and 51 (88%) home desintoxication. At the end of the period control, 48 patients were in "drug free program". At the beginning of treatment 32 (53.3%) patients were 22-27 years old. The most usual illegal drugs at consultation were: cannabis 57 (95%), cocaine 53 (88.3%), heroine 51 (85%) and benzodiazepines 50 (83.3%). Twenty-five patients (41.6%) needed derivation to another health services. From 51 patients addicted to intravenous heroin, only ten (19.6%) were positive to HIV antibodies. CONCLUSIONS. The increase of patients number who started and remained the "drug free program" and the low percent of patients who stopped treatment show that the assistant program in primary care is working. This program has been appropriate to know the characteristics of this group in our area: low age at initiation, progressive use of more than one drug and low prevalence of HIV positivity.