A comparison of three "interventions" on pretreatment dropout rates in an outpatient substance abuse clinic

Studies examining pretreatment dropout in outpatient substance abuse clinic s have consistently demonstrated that fewer days between phone contact and scheduled intake appointment result in higher client show rates. To compare time to intake with two other interventions hypothesized to increase show rates, individuals (N = 128) seeking treatment were randomly assigned to on e of four groups. Individuals in Group 1 were scheduled within 48 hours of the telephone intake. Individuals in Groups 2, 3, and 4 were scheduled 48 h ours or more after the telephone intake and received either a reminder call 24 hours prior to their appointment (Group 2), an appointment card and cli nic brochure in the mail (Group 3), or no intervention (Group 4). The resul ts show that Group 1 had a higher show rate as compared to the other three groups, and receiving a reminder call or an appointment card did not improv e show rates beyond that of the no-contact control group. Implications for intake procedures are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd.