Patient Termination as the Ultimate Failure of Addiction Treatment Reframing Administrative Discharge as Clinical Abandonment

Course overview

This course is based upon material published in the Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics and can be accessed freely on the internet by using the weblink below. Abstract The proverbial elephant in the addiction treatment industry is the accepted disciplinary intervention of administrative discharge, the forced termination of patients from addiction treatment services. Despite its usage, this practice is not anchored in consensus about best practices or sanctioned by national guidelines. As a result, administrative discharges are based on rationale ranging from violations of clinic rules regarding safety to merely failing to conform to staff expectations. Patients may be administratively discharged with little nexus to addiction recovery resources while continuing to exhibit symptoms that demonstrate a continued need for treatment. Unchecked use of this administrative tool creates a risk of clinical abandonment and may mask prolonged and repeated program failures. Thus, the practice of administrative discharge may simultaneously increase the risk of relapse while precluding quality assurance and improvement initiatives This course on patient termination as a failure of addiction treatment is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. In addition, this course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced-level practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge of patient termination as it relates to failure in addiction treatment. Authors: Williams and Bonner Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding patient termination and addiction treatment. Specifically, a professional will: Describe the rationale for administrative discharges and how they are currently being used. Identify ethical problems that may occur as a result of administrative discharges. Recognize the impact administrative discharges may have on the risk of relapse. Citation: Williams, I. L., Bonnrt, E. (2020). Patient termination as the ultimate failure of addiction treatment: Reframing administrative discharge as clinical abandonment. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, V17, N1.