Client Satisfaction With Rural Substance Abuse Case Management Services

• Published in: Care management journals : Journal of case management : the journal of long term home health care 2006-12, Vol.7 (4), p.179-190
• Main Authors: Kopelman, Todd, Huber, Diane L., Kopelman, Robin, Sarrazin, Mary Vaughan, Hall, James A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Case Management; Case Management - organization & administration; Client Satisfaction; Community Mental Health Services - organization & administration; Constraints; Drug Abuse; Female; Health Care Administration and Management; Health Care Surveys; Health Sciences; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Iowa; Legal Cases; Male; Middle Aged; Models, Organizational; Patient Satisfaction; Privacy; Rural Health Services - organization & administration; Semistructured interviews; Substance Abuse; Substance-Related Disorders - rehabilitation; Treatment Outcome; Treatment Programs
• ISSN: 1521-0987; 1938-9019
• DOI: 10.1891/cmj-v7i4a003

Although many substance abuse organizations offer case management services, little is known about clients' satisfaction as consumers of case management services. The purpose of this study was to evaluate consumer preferences regarding the delivery of case management services in a rural substance abuse treatment program. For this study, 120 clients (30 in each of four research conditions) were interviewed about their experiences in the Iowa Case Management Project (ICMP), a field-based clinical trial evaluating a strengths-based model of case management for rural clients in drug abuse treatment. A mixed-method approach evaluated clients' responses from a semistructured interview. Most clients preferred meeting with their case manager in their own home. Clients also stated that they preferred specific characteristics of case management services-namely, convenience, privacy, comfort, and accessibility. Finally, clients wanted more time with their case managers over time. Although clients in drug treatment are not often considered as consumers, we found that client satisfaction with case management services could be studied and that clients appreciated being asked about their experiences. By targeting perceived and actual barriers to meeting with case managers (e.g., availability of transportation), service utilization by clients may be increased along with overall satisfaction.