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Detoxification as a gateway to long-term treatment: assessing two interventions
Mari Millery1, Bhadra Paula Kleinman, Nayak L Polissar
1Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University, 722 West 168 Street, Room 11-14, New York, NY 10032, USA. mm994@columbia.edu
Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
|October 24, 2002
Summary
This study evaluated interventions to improve long-term addiction treatment entry after hospital detoxification. Neither motivational psychotherapy nor educational videos significantly increased treatment utilization compared to standard care.
Area of Science:
- Addiction Medicine
- Clinical Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Hospital detoxification is a critical point for transitioning patients to long-term addiction treatment.
- Effective interventions are needed to improve treatment engagement post-discharge.
- Previous strategies have shown limited success in sustained treatment entry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of two interventions against treatment as usual in promoting long-term addiction treatment entry.
- To assess the impact of brief motivational psychotherapy and educational videos on treatment utilization.
- To identify factors influencing successful transition to long-term care following detoxification.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 279 participants with heroin and/or cocaine dependence.
- Participants were recruited from detoxification wards in New York City hospitals.
- Interventions included brief motivational psychotherapy, treatment-related videos, and treatment as usual.
Main Results:
- One-third of participants engaged in long-term treatment (30 days post-discharge).
- 23% received 1-29 days of treatment, and 43% received no treatment.
- Neither intervention demonstrated a significant improvement in long-term treatment utilization compared to standard care.
Conclusions:
- The tested interventions were not significantly superior to treatment as usual in increasing long-term addiction treatment entry.
- Potential limitations of the interventions themselves require further investigation.
- Detoxification ward conditions may present barriers to effective post-discharge intervention implementation.