NCARE, Transition to Recovery

University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Alcohol Withdrawal; Substance Use Disorders

Treatments: Behavioral: Patient navigation; Behavioral: Motivational interviewing (MI)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03737864

18-2421

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study tests the effectiveness of patient navigation for increasing enrollment in substance abuse treatment programs and preventing readmission to detoxification. Participants will be randomized to receive motivational interviewing or motivation interviewing plus patient navigation.

Full description

The primary goal of alcohol detoxification is to medically manage acute intoxication and withdrawal. Its secondary goal of fostering entry into longer-term alcohol treatment post-detoxification is often overlooked. This leads to a revolving door characterized by a cyclical pattern of discharges and re-admissions to detoxification. This pattern is observed across the US among alcohol detoxification patients and is even more prevalent among Alaska Native people; few transition to alcohol treatment following detoxification and approximately 40% are readmitted within 1 year. The revolving door is costly to patients and providers. Current estimates associated with the cost of detoxification are not available. A study over 25 years ago indicated the average inpatient detoxification stay was over $3,300. Although the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration recognizes that better linkages are needed to transition people to treatment following detoxification, few interventions have tested ways to improve this transition; none of these prior studies included either Alaska Natives or American Indians.

This study proposes to use patient navigators to guide and assist patients in their transition to the appropriate levels of treatment, and to help eliminate barriers that obstruct treatment entry. This is a randomized controlled trial of the patient navigation intervention with 612 patients. We will estimate the costs of implementing and sustaining this intervention as well as its economic value. The control condition will include 1 session of motivational interviewing lasting approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. The intervention group will also receive motivational interviewing and in addition will work with a patient navigator to facilitate entry into the appropriate level of care and provide ongoing support until the patient is admitted to treatment or the intervention period ends.

Specific Aims:

1. Adapt patient navigation (Transitions to Recovery) to fit the patient population and test its effectiveness in increasing successful transition to post-detoxification substance abuse treatment.
2. Test patient navigation's effectiveness in preventing readmission to detoxification.
3. Perform a comprehensive economic evaluation of patient navigation (Transition to Recovery) by using cost-benefit analyses.

If effective, this intervention may be a cost-effective means of transitioning detoxification patients to treatment across health care systems nationally.

Enrollment: 206 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years or older.
• successful completion of the detoxification process (completion of the detoxification process is a necessary step in order to transitions to substance abuse treatment) from our partnering detoxification facility.
• no comorbid physical or mental health condition (e.g., cancer, severe suicidality) that would delay transition to alcohol treatment.
• willing and cognitively able to provide informed consent and complete all study procedures assessed by detoxification discharge nurses.
• not currently admitted to a substance abuse treatment program

Exclusion:

• discharge destination prison or jail
• already enrolled in substance abuse treatment

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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206 participants in 2 patient groups

Motivational Interview

Active Comparator group

Description:

A single 45-60 minute 1:1 session of MI provided by patient navigators at discharged focused on transitioning patients to treatment after detoxification.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Motivational interviewing (MI)

Patient navigation and MI

Experimental group

Description:

A single 45-60 minute 1:1 session of MI provided by patient navigators at discharged focused on transitioning patients to treatment after detoxification plus patient navigation for 30 days, or until the patient is successfully enrolled in substance abuse treatment, or readmission to detoxification occurs, whichever occurs first.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Patient navigation