The impact of drug treatments on during-treatment criteria: 1971-1972 DARP admissions.

Abstract

The results of drug-abuse treatments can be evaluated both during treatment and post treatment. While posttreatment follow-up studies are of primary importance, the study of the immediate effects of treatments is useful in its own right. Evaluation of patient outcomes while the patient is still in treatment should generally show expected effects even though it may not be possible to determine whether such effects will persist after treatment is terminated. Such evaluation can also assist in answering questions concerning the relative efficacy of different approaches to treatment.