Telephone Enhancement of Long-term Engagement (TELE) in continuing care for substance abuse treatment: A NIDA Clinical Trials Network (CTN) study

The TELE study examined the feasibility and potential efficacy of phone calls to patients after discharge from short-term inpatient and residential substance abuse treatment programs to encourage compliance with continuing care plans. After review of their continuing care plans, 339 patients from four programs were randomized either to receive calls or to have no planned contact. Ninety-two percent of patients randomized to receive calls received at least one call. No difference was found between groups in self-reported attendance at one or more outpatient counseling sessions after discharge (p=.89). When program records of all participants were examined, those receiving calls had a greater likelihood of documented attendance (48%) than those not called (37%). Results were not statistically significant ( p < .003) because of the Hochberg correction for multiple tests. While the phone calls were feasible, the lack of clear evidence of efficacy of the calls suggests the need for further investigation of the role of telephone intervention to encourage compliance and improve outcomes.