Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2026
07:32
Novel Apparatus and Method for Drug Reinforcement
Published on: August 20, 2010
A comparative, process-effectiveness evaluation of VA substance abuse treatment
J W Finney1, P C Ouimette, K Humphreys
1Program Evaluation and Resource Center, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California 94025, USA.
Recent Developments in Alcoholism : an Official Publication of the American Medical Society on Alcoholism, the Research Society on Alcoholism, and the National Council on Alcoholism
|July 14, 2001
Summary
Patients in 12-step programs showed better long-term abstinence from substance abuse. Extended outpatient care and self-help group involvement also improved outcomes in VA treatment programs.
Area of Science:
- Addiction Medicine
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
Background:
- Substance abuse treatment effectiveness is crucial for veteran health.
- Understanding long-term outcomes informs clinical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the one-year effectiveness of different substance abuse treatment modalities.
- To identify factors associated with sustained abstinence and reduced substance use problems.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of over 3,000 patients from 15 VA inpatient substance abuse programs.
- Comparison of 12-step, cognitive-behavioral (CB), and eclectic treatment approaches.
- Assessment of proximal outcomes and one-year follow-up data.
Main Results:
- Patients in 12-step programs demonstrated greater abstinence at one-year follow-up.
- Extended outpatient mental health care and 12-step self-help group involvement correlated with better outcomes.
- Improvements in 12-step specific outcomes were observed in patients in 12-step programs.
Conclusions:
- 12-step programs, combined with ongoing support, appear effective for long-term substance abuse recovery in veterans.
- Treatment modality alone may not be as critical as continued engagement in support systems.
- Further research is needed to explore patient-treatment interaction effects.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-II
Rural Health Centers
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
01:15Nursing Evaluation
The evaluation stage signals the end of the nursing process. The nurse gathers evaluative data to assess whether or not the patient has attained the expected results. Whereas the nurse collects data in the nursing assessment to identify the patient's health concerns, the evaluation stage data determines if the indicated health issues are resolved. Evaluative data collection includes two sections: the data acquired to evaluate patient outcomes and the time criteria for data collection.
Section...
Section...
01:22Dose-Response Relationship: Potency and Efficacy
The potency of a drug is the measure of its ability to produce a biological response and can be compared by looking at the half-maximum effective concentration or EC50 values of different drugs. A lower EC50 value indicates higher potency of the drug. In the dose–response curve of two antihypertensive drugs, candesartan and irbesartan, a significant difference is observed in their EC50 values. A lower EC50 value for candesartan indicates that it is more potent than irbesartan, as it produces...
01:15Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
Drug dependence, abuse, and addiction are complex phenomena that can precipitate various abnormal states. Physical dependence refers to a state of pharmacological adaptation to a drug. This adaptation often results in tolerance—a reduced response to the drug after repeated administrations. When the drug use is abruptly stopped, withdrawal symptoms occur due to the body's need to readjust from the pharmacologically induced imbalance. However, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms do not necessarily...
01:22Pharmaceutical Alternatives: Stability-Related Therapeutic Nonequivalence
Generic intravenous (IV) drugs are considered bioequivalent to their branded counterparts due to their 100% bioavailability upon administration. However, variations in stability among different drug products can significantly influence their therapeutic performance, even if they are pharmaceutically equivalent.Cefuroxime, a prophylactic antimicrobial, is often used as a single-dose IV injection for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. A 3 g dose typically provides...
01:26Therapeutic Drug Monitoring: Drug Analysis Methods
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) is a clinical practice that measures specific drug levels in a patient's blood or body tissues to tailor drug therapy effectively. This monitoring is critical for managing drugs with narrow therapeutic indices like digoxin and phenytoin, ensuring they are both safe and effective. For instance, monitoring theophylline levels in asthma patients involves precision and sensitivity to adjust doses according to individual responses to therapy, ensuring efficacy and...