Interval Between Intake and Follow-Up as a Factor in the Evaluation of Patients with a Drinking Problem

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Abstract
Practical considerations influence the interval chosen by investigators between treatment and follow-up in studies on the outcome of treatment of a condition. The decision was made by the authors, in their continuing research dealing with the outcome of varying treatment approaches to alcoholism, to have follow-up interviews 1 year after the patient''s 1st visit to the clinic. Since longer follow-up periods might increase the frequency of exacerbations, or increase the frequency of remission an attempt was made to ascertain to what extent varying the interval between admission and follow-up would influence the relationships between treatment variables and follow-up status. An analysis of 3 follow-up studies by different investigators was made. The 1st showed remarkable similarity in the status of the patients in the course of the 1st as compared to the 2d year after their discharge from a special treatment unit. The 2d study, indicated no differences in the overall drinking patterns of 4 groups of patients whose periods of follow-up observation ranged from 9-16 months to a 36-55 month period. The 3d study, showed the same pattern of drinking, health and employment status, etc., for 3 matched groups, 2, 5, and 8 years after admission to this state''s alcoholism program clinics. It was concluded here that limiting the follow-up interval to 1 year is not likely to distort the picture of the relationship between the characteristics of the patient at admission, the treatment he received, and his drinking, health, employment, etc., status at follow-up.