Sex Differences in Patient Characteristics and Treatment Retention in an Intensive Post-Hospitalization Program for...

Plain Language Summary TitleSex Differences in an Addiction Treatment Program at an Urban Mental Health HospitalPlain Language SummaryOur study examined whether there are sex differences in patients treated in an addiction recovery program after leaving the hospital. The program, called the Intensive Recovery Discharge Team, is run by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto. It offers short-term support for patients recovering from substance use disorders after being discharged from the hospital. Services include mental health care, medication management, and help connecting to outpatient treatment. We reviewed the health records of 716 patients to see if there were differences between females and males in their characteristics at the time of referral, as well as in how many appointments they attended and whether they returned to the program after relapse. Our results suggest that female patients were younger and more likely to have other mental health conditions than male patients. While female patients received less referrals than male patients, this difference could be explained by the difference in age. However, once in the program, there were no differences between females and males in how many appointments were booked, missed, or attended. This suggests that females are just as likely as males to stay engaged in treatment when they do have an opportunity to receive it. This difference in referral and re-referral, whether it is due to younger age or other barriers, may make it harder for females to access addiction care after being discharged from the hospital. More research is needed to understand why this is, and how to ensure equitable access to addiction care after leaving the hospital.