title: Repeat users of substance abuse services at a VA Medical Center.
abstract: To examine patterns of use of acute walk-in services by substance abusers, the authors studied demographic characteristics and type of substance abuse among 1,838 patients treated at a Veterans Affairs substance abuse triage unit. They found that African-American and male substance abusers appeared most likely to return for triage services. Among heroin users, the strongest predictor of return was gender. Among alcoholics, homelessness was the sole predictor of return. No predictors were found for cocaine users. The authors conclude that the relationship between return rates and type of substance abuse needs further study.
authors.affiliation: University of California, San Francisco, USA.
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Hartz
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Banys
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003042:Cocaine; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012495:San Francisco / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D003042:Cocaine