Pentavalent treatment: preliminary effects on state hospital utilization.
The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if a low-cost alternative to assertive community treatment (ACT) programs could achieve results comparable to those previously reported by high-fidelity ACT programs with regard to state hospital utilization by patients with long-term, treatment-refractory serious mental illness and high rates of hospital recidivism. A sample of 30 patients was exposed to a low- cost alternative to ACT for a 12-month period. A quasi-experimental research design was used to compare state hospital utilization by the treatment group and a matched comparison group. The treatment group exhibited significantly less state hospital utilization than the comparison group and had an 88% reduction in state hospital utilization in comparison to its 10-year baseline. Low cost alternatives to ACT programs may be as effective as high-fidelity programs in reducing state hospital utilization and may be more easily adaptable to the current structure, operation, and financial constraints of community mental health centers.
Scheifler
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PL
Western Mental Health Center, Jefferson County Department of Health, Birmingham, Alabama 35218, USA.
Hayes
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HE
Glaser
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W
Hobbs
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