|
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
The prevalence of substance use disorders (SUD) in the VA is rising, making SUD(s) among the most commonly diagnosed disorders in the VA. A substantial body of data attests to the effectiveness of substance use disorder treatment; further the predictor most consistently associated with positive addiction treatment outcomes is duration. Despite the body of evidence supporting length of treatment as one of the stronger predictors of long-term SUD outcomes, only 36% of SUD treatment programs in the VA are meeting the continuing care performance criterion specified by the Office of Quality Performance. The proposed randomized clinical trial investigates whether substance use disorder patients assigned to telephone case monitoring (TCM) for continuing care will do better than those attending face-to-face continuing care as usual (CCAU)(standard outpatient care).
OBJECTIVE(S):
The objective of this research is to test, in a randomized clinical trial, whether in-person CCAU following intensive outpatient SUD treatment leads to better SUD outcomes when compared with TCM. In addition, we will investigate whether continuing care condition interacts with distance from providers such that telephone case monitoring (TCM) produces increasingly stronger results relative to continuing care as usual (CCAU) as distance from care increases. Should we find an interaction, we will test whether the interaction is due to TCM producing better proximal outcomes such as level of participation in continuing care and satisfaction with treatment. Finally, we will investigate the cost of providing telephone care relative to continuing care as usual.
METHODS:
The design of this study will be a randomized controlled trial of telephone case monitoring versus face-to-face continuing care as usual with 2 sites and up to 500 patients per site recruited over 1.5 years for a total of up to 1000 patients. Patients will be involved in the intervention for up to 6 months and data collection will occur at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months via mailed surveys. Data of interest include self-report of substance use, psychiatric symptoms, and quality of life. Data analyses will be conducted using hierarchical linear modeling.
FINDINGS/RESULTS:
This study has recruited and begun treatment with 684 subjects. The procedures are feasible and well-accepted by clinicians at the intervention sites and participants thus far.
IMPACT:
Data from the current study will allow VA planners to evaluate the potential benefit of telephone continuing care vis- -vis an important parameter in many VISN(s): distance from the patient to specialty care providers and cost of care provided. The current study offers the potential for greater flexibility in providing continuing care to VA SUD patients without sacrificing clinical efficacy.
PUBLICATIONS:
None at this time.
DRA:
Health Services and Systems, Mental Illness, Substance Abuse, Addictive Disorders
DRE:
Treatment
Keywords:
Alcohol, Drug abuse, Telemedicine
MeSH Terms:
none
|
