Treatment outcome following day care for alcohol dependency: the effects of reducing programme length

Because of the need to maximise treatment adherence and minimise costs, the duration of treatment for alcohol problems should not be longer than is necessary to achieve clinical benefit. The present authors have previously demonstrated the effectiveness of a 10-week outpatient treatment programme. In this paper, they evaluate the effects of reducing the length of the programme to 6 weeks by comparing the outcomes to those of the original programme. One hundred and twenty-four patients were followed up 11 months after choosing the revised 6-week programme. Eighty-eight patients (71%) were successfully contacted. Data collected included alcohol-related problems, use of other services, drinking patterns throughout the follow-up period and details of alcohol intake for the week prior to interview. Reducing the programme length significantly increased the number of patients completing the programme at no cost to clinical effectiveness.