Detoxification from alcohol: a comparison of home detoxification and hospital-based day patient care

An uncontrolled study was carried out to examine two types of ambulatory care for patients undergoing detoxification from alcohol. The safety, efficacy, and acceptability of home detoxification was compared to detoxification within a day hospital setting. Seventy-nine per cent of home detoxification patients, many of whom had major alcohol-related problems and were severely dependent on alcohol, were successfully detoxified at 10 days. The day hospital group overlapped in severity with the home group and 78% completed detoxification. At 60 days, 45% of home detoxification patients and 31% of the day hospital group showed significant improvements in a range of alcohol-related difficulties. Improved outcome was associated with attendance for further treatment for both groups. Both home and day hospital detoxifications were viable alternatives to in-patient detoxification for selected groups of patients.