The long and winding road: What comes next after detox

BACKGROUND: Detoxification centers are specialized facilities treating patients with substance use disorder (SUD). The detoxification process is a medically managed treatment where substances are slowly weaned from the body. This process lasts approximately 5-7 days. Most patients meet the criteria for SUD upon admission, but do not seek specialized post-discharge treatment, which has been found to increase long-term sobriety.

LOCAL PROBLEM: The site was a 16-bed adult detoxification center located in South Carolina. The operations manager identified there was no standardized discharge educational planning process to support long-term sobriety. This project’s aim was to increase the percentage of patients leaving detoxification treatment with a plan for continued treatment.

METHODS: The project used the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) for assessing the timing of an educational intervention. Based on one PDSA cycle, the administration of the pre-survey time was adjusted to within 24-hours of admission. Pre- and post-surveys were used to measure patients’ knowledge concerning continued SUD treatment options.

INTERVENTIONS: An educational booklet was created providing information on long-term sobriety strategies including options for continued treatment. A 5-question survey was administered at admission to determine baseline knowledge. During their stay, patients reviewed the educational booklet and upon discharge, the same survey was administered.

RESULTS: Data points measured (pre- and post-intervention) included patients’ knowledge of SUD and continued treatment options, and whether they made a discharge plan. Paired sampled t-tests were used to analyze this data. The p value of each response was

CONCLUSIONS: This intervention provided patients with post-discharge options, guiding them to develop concrete plans for continued SUD care which is essential for long-term sobriety outcomes. Moving forward, patient education is necessary for successful discharge planning.