Citation: McHugo, G.J, Drake, R.E., Teague, G.B., and Xie, H. (1999). Fidelity to Assertive Community Treatment and Client Outcomes in the New Hampshire Dual Disorders Study. Psychiatric Services. American Psychiatric Association.
This research article shows that clients in high-fidelity Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) programs showed greater reductions in alcohol and drug use and attained higher rates of remission from substance-use disorders than clients in the low-fidelity programs. Clients in high-fidelity programs had higher rates of retention in treatment and fewer hospital admissions than those in low-fidelity programs. The findings underscore the value of measures of model fidelity, and they suggest that local modifications of the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model or failure to comply with it may jeopardize program success.