Exploring continuity of care in patients with alcohol use disorders using time-variant measures.
OBJECTIVE
We used time-variant measures of continuity of care to study fluctuations in long-term treatment use by patients with alcohol-related disorders.


METHODS
Data on service use were extracted from the Psychiatric Case Register for the Rotterdam Region, The Netherlands. Continuity measures were calculated for each day over a 2-year observation period. Repeated measures analysis was used to identify factors that influence continuity of care over time.


RESULTS
Continuity of care was higher for patients with more severe disorders. Though quantity of care was high for patients with long problem history during the first year of treatment, it decreased strongly in the second year. The intervals between treatment contacts were shorter for women, especially young ones, than for men.


CONCLUSIONS
Time-variant measures showed differences in continuity of care that would not have been revealed if more aggregated measures of service use had been used.
de Vries
S C
SC
Department of Psychiatry, O3 Research Centre Mental Health Care, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. s.c.devries@erasmusmc.nl
Wierdsma
A I
AI
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors