Citation

LeFebvre AM, Dare B, Farrell SJ, Cuddeback GS. Community Ment. Health J. 2018; 54(4): 469-479.

Affiliation

School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 325 Pittsboro Street, CB#3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10597-017-0162-3

PMID

28864952

Abstract

An emerging focus of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams is the transition of clients to less intensive services, which creates space for individuals in need of ACT and is consistent with a recovery orientation of treatment. However, there is limited research on team transition rates, post-ACT services, and strategies to overcome transition barriers. In addition, few studies have examined differences in these factors among urban and rural ACT teams. To address these knowledge gaps, we interviewed eight ACT teams in urban and rural areas of eastern Ontario regarding their transition rates, processes of transitioning ACT clients to less intensive services, transition barriers, and solutions to overcoming these barriers. On average, teams transitioned about 6% of their clients over our 3-year study period. Urban and rural teams described both similar and distinct clinical and systemic barriers, such as client reluctance to transition and finding psychiatric follow-up outside of ACT. Implications for ACT practice and policy are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

ACT; Assertive Community Treatment; Discharge; Rural; Transition; Urban