What the discharge or end of treatment is like. Like everything else… it’s a process. When the patient requests discharge, or the treating professional determines that the individual goals set for the case (regarding relapse, responsibility, psychoeducation, drug-free living, etc.) have been met, they request a meeting with the coordination team.
At this meeting, the process follows the structure of an algorithm or decision tree in which the professional is asked about the objectives, their diagnostic impression, the patient’s wishes, the obstacles encountered, the solutions implemented, the progression of the addiction, and a tentative prognosis for the future (among other indicators).
These indicators are scored on a scale, and depending on the results, we can help the treating professional make the best decision regarding discharge—whether to schedule follow-up visits monthly, bimonthly, semiannually, annually, or at the patient’s request (for example, in situations of anxiety or stresss).
At this point, the process of closing the case or concluding treatment begins, during which the professional will conduct one (or more) feedback sessions with the patient to provide them with even more information about their process, the challenges they faced, and their progress—what would be called a 360-degree evaluation in a business context. In summary, this is what the discharge or end of treatment for an addiction process looks like.
