Effective aftercare for patients with substance abuse who have been court-ordered to involuntary care.

INTERVENTION: Case management according to Comprehensive Case Management for Substance Abuse Treatment, Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 27. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The case manager and patient assessed the situation using ten different instruments. The case manager, patient, social worker and institutional staff planned the interventions for the first six months in aftercare. The case manager and patient met at least once a week to plan for the week. The case manager monitored the plans together with patient. The case manager, patient and social worker met with social worker once a month to plan interventions. The case manager sent in description of interventions to project leader once a week and got weekly feed‐back on adherence to manual. Interventions were according to plan and could include relapse intervention, visit to psychiatric out‐patient unit, coffee with relatives etc. CONDITION: Substance abuse PRIMARY OUTCOME: Abstinence was measured by the following questionnaires; Time‐Line‐Follow‐Back (TLFB), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification test (AUDIT), The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and by a predecessor to Drug Use Identification Test (AUDRUG). SECONDARY OUTCOME: Linkage to care; access to out‐patient hospital care, in‐patient hospital care, social servicesand institutional care. Patients and significant others were asked during interview to specify which type of care the patient had had access to in aftercare. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Court‐order to involuntary care, residency in one of nine municipalities, involuntary care in one of three institutions