Involuntary Hospital Admission in the Treatment of People With Severe Substance Use Disorder

Case study
by
Di Paola, Francesca et al

Release Date

2023

Geography

Canada

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

No

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

No

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

Recently there have been discussions about the utility of involuntary hospital admissions for patients who have severe substance use disorders (SUDs) and may otherwise not receive or remain in treatment. This case report describes 3 patient cases where involuntary hospital admissions were used and resulted in good outcomes.

Findings/Key points

Although the patients were admitted involuntarily, they remained capable of consenting to treatment. When utilized for the least amount of time under specific circumstances, involuntary hospital admissions for people with severe SUDs may be productive and result in good outcomes for patients. Care should be taken to debrief involuntary admissions with patients to preserve therapeutic rapport.

Keywords

Hospitals
Policy/Regulatory
Outcomes