Motivational interviewing and treatment retention among drug user patients: a pilot study.

The effect of motivational interviewing (MI) on retention in the context of an outpatient and drug-free heroin-program is evaluated. Heroin users (N=40) seeking treatment were randomly assigned to MI or to control conditions. Results indicated that participants who received MI significantly increased retention rates in comparison to the control group six months after the commencement of the treatment program (50%, as against 20%). These results suggest that MI could be a useful instrument for improving retention rates in drug-free treatment programs during the initial phases of treatment, when the majority of "drop-outs" from these programs are recorded.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes