Compliance to supervised disulfiram therapy: a comparison of voluntary and court-ordered patients.
We hypothesized that court mandate would significantly enhance compliance with supervised disulfiram therapy. We conducted a twelve-week prospective study of outpatient compliance with court-ordered, monitored disulfiram treatment as compared to voluntary, monitored treatment. The court ordered group (n=19) was significantly more compliant than the voluntary group (n=22). Legally mandated subjects attended an average of 87% (+/-21%) of scheduled visits, versus 42% (+/-35%) for the group without court order. Court mandate roughly doubles the compliance rate of monitored disulfiram therapy, effectively enhancing clinic attendance during the first twelve weeks of treatment.
Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center (DVAMC), Denver, Colorado, USA.
Brandon
B
Martin
Loraine
L
Clapp
Diana
D
Bialkowski
Denise
D
Bridgeford
Akwasi
A
Amponsah
Levester
L
Lyons
Thomas P
TP
Beresford
D000427:Alcohol Deterrents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004221:Disulfiram / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*
D000427:Alcohol Deterrents; D004221:Disulfiram