Using the day treatment appropriateness scale with rural, alcoholic clients

Inadequate selection of patients is one factor in the underutilization of day-treatment programs. The Day Treatment Appropriateness Scale (DTAS; Lefkovitz, P. M., Int. J. Part. Hosp. 1:45-47, 1982) is one of only two reported instruments designed to assist in patient selection; it has been shown to predict validly successful completion of a day-treatment program for chronic, psychiatric patients. This report addresses the use of the DTAS in an alcohol day-treatment program located in a rural, midwestern, community mental-health center. The DTAS was not found to predict accurately successful program completion among alcoholic clients in day treatment. Possible explanations of the findings and additional predictive variables are reported.