Reminder Systems, Substance-Related Disorders
Conditions
Brief summary
Missed appointments to outpatient substance use treatment are common and costly and can have a negative effect on the health of patients. In this quasi-experimental study, the investigators used an on-off design to examine whether a reminder plus intervention (telephone call from therapist before first appointment) would increase attendance and improve cancellation and rebooking practices. Secondary outcomes included satisfaction with treatment and intention to complete the treatment program.
Interventions
OTHERReminder plus (telephone call from therapist)
Reminder plus (telephone call from therapist)
Sponsors
Sorlandet Hospital HF
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SEQUENTIAL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Masking description
The aim of the study was presented to all participants (to examine dropout/ retention from treatment), but patients were blinded to information about the phase comparison (i.e., that there was a pretreatment telephone Call from therapist in one phase and not in the other).
Intervention model description
Quasi-experimental with an OFF-ON design
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Newly referred patient * \> 18 years * Diagnosis: Substance related disorder
Exclusion criteria
* Patients who are unable to understand or score the survey due to cognitive or language barriers
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance rate | Up to 10 treatment sessions, estimated average timeframe = 3 months | Attendance rate at first admission and during 10 outpatient sessions |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dropout rate | Up to 10 treatment sessions, estimated average timeframe = 3 months | Dropout rate within 10 sessions - measured as formal discharge and/or technical discharge (3x no-shows) |
| Cancellation / rebooking rate | Up to 10 treatment sessions, estimated average timeframe = 3 months | Examine difference in cancellation / rebooking rate between the two conditions. Data was collected from administrative patient records. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment satisfaction | First week | Treatment satisfaction - measured with the Session Rating Scale (scale 0 - 40, higher scores means higher satisfaction) |
| Intention to complete treatment | First week | Intention to complete treatment program. Self-developed measured based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Scale 1 - 7, higher scores means higher intention to Complete treatment). |
Countries
Norway
Outcome results
None listed