PS 1995; 46:285-287
Copyright © 1995 by American Psychiatric Association
Repeat users of substance abuse services at a VA Medical Center
DT Hartz, P Banys and SM Hall
University of California, San Francisco, USA.
To examine patterns of use of acute walk-in services by substance abusers,
the authors studied demographic characteristics and type of substance abuse
among 1,838 patients treated at a Veterans Affairs substance abuse triage
unit. They found that African-American and male substance abusers appeared
most likely to return for triage services. Among heroin users, the
strongest predictor of return was gender. Among alcoholics, homelessness
was the sole predictor of return. No predictors were found for cocaine
users. The authors conclude that the relationship between return rates and
type of substance abuse needs further study.
