GENERALIZING FROM CONTROLLED TREATMENT OUTCOME STUDIES - SAMPLE DATA FROM A COCAINE TREATMENT PROGRAM

The gap between published research findings and clinical practice may be due in part to clinician concerns about generalizing from research to real treatment settings. The present study, conducted at a publicly funded, inner-city cocaine treatment program, compared 102 patients w ho volunteered for random assignment to treatment with 308 individuals who refused to volunteer. Volunteers and refusers received the same t reatment provided by the same staff in the same setting. No difference s were found in demographics, addiction severity, psychiatric function ing, or treatment retention. The data suggest that the results of rese arch findings may therefore be more applicable to clinical settings th an was previously thought.