RESULTS
ABUSE, RECRUITMENT
Sites recruited participants for this study over a 16-month period during which a total of 20,762 patients were approached for an initial screening. Of those, 15,224 (73.3%) patients gave verbal consent to anonymously complete an electronic screening questionnaire to determine eligibility. Based on eligibility, willingness to participate, and ability to continue, 1,285 patients were enrolled in this study, on target with recruitment projections. We excluded patients who had an incomplete screen (252), fell below the cutoff score of the Drug Abuse Screening Test for problematic drug use (12,888), failed to meet inclusion criteria (64), did not complete consent (725), or withdrew prior to randomization (10). Tracking and retention occurred over a 29-month period during which staff completed 3,179 follow-up assessments. The 3-, 6-, and 12-month retention rates for this study were 89%, 86%, and 81%, respectively. Follow-up rates did not vary by group assignment (As many as 70 contact attempts were made for a few participants before they completed a follow-up. Follow-up staff made on average 26 contact attempts per participant to schedule a follow-up appointment. Contact attempts included making phone calls to participants and locators; texting; sending letters and email messages; conducting online searches to include searching obituaries and incarceration websites; visiting the participant’s home; and on occasion, if approved by the local IRB, sending private messages on Facebook. Phone calls were the most common method used to contact a participant. Varying the time of calling and the days when a participant was called increased the success of reaching and scheduling follow-ups with participants.Of the 3,176 follow-up assessments completed, 2,918 (91.8%) were in person and 261 (8.2%) over the telephone. We identified 64 participants incarcerated at some point in the follow-up period. Comprehensive study results can be found in the author MB’s 2014 primary outcomes paper.