Weekly patterns of drug treatment attendance.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Svikis, Dave S.; Pickens, Roy W.; Schweitzer, Wendy
- Source
- American Journal of Public Health; May 1999, Vol. 89 Issue 5, p752-755, 4p
- Subject
- Patient compliance
Drug abuse treatment
Patient participation
Health behavior
Medical cooperation
- Language
- ISSN
- 00900036
Objectives. This study examined weekly patterns of drug treatment attendance in relation to date of welfare payment receipt and reason for treatment absence. Methods. Treatment attendance by Medicaid-eligible pregnant women who were drug dependent was examined by calendar week over a 29-month period. Results. Time series analyses showed that attendance was lower during week 1 than week 4. Drug use was the most frequently reported reason for treatment absence during week 1 (25%) but was not reported as a reason during week 3. Conclusions. Drug-dependent outpatients had increased absences associated with illicit drug use during the first week of the month when welfare payments were received. The generalizability of the findings is unknown. (Am J Public Health. 1999;89:752-755) Reprinted by permission of the publisher.