How to Refer Families for Support in Substance Use Disorder Care
How can clinicians connect patients with substance use disorder and their families to available family support services?
Patients with substance use disorder often benefit from family involvement, and clinicians in this study overwhelmingly viewed family support as an important part of care. Yet referrals remained uncommon, suggesting that clinicians need a practical way to link families to available support resources when SUD treatment is being planned.
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Identify patients with substance use disorder who may benefit from family support
Consider family support as part of the treatment plan when caring for a patient with substance use disorder. In this survey, 91.35% of respondents agreed that family support should be included as an element of SUD treatment plans, and 92.31% believed these services improve patient outcomes.
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Engage the family when contact is available
Use opportunities for family interaction to introduce the possibility of family-based support. The article highlights that family engagement was less frequent than SUD patient contact, with 50% of respondents engaging families only occasionally and 25.96% frequently, indicating that existing family contact points may be underused.
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Refer through the psychiatry-based family support program when available
At the study institution, family support referrals were facilitated through the Department of Psychiatry via the Support, Advocacy, and Family Education program. SAFE offers families an initial consultation with an addiction psychiatrist, peer and group support, and access to educational resources.
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Use social work for additional community-based connections
If additional or alternative support is needed, make referrals through hospital social work services. The article states that social work may connect families with community-based counseling resources beyond the psychiatry program.
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Clarify practical access features of the referral option
When discussing the psychiatry-based program, explain that participation in SAFE is voluntary and free of charge. Also note that external referrals may differ in payment structure, which may affect which resource a family chooses.
Clinical Considerations
- This guide is based on a single major urban academic center's referral structure and may not generalize to other settings.
- The study assessed clinician perceptions and referral patterns rather than patient outcomes after referral.
- The article describes available referral resources but does not provide a validated protocol for determining which patients or families should be referred.
- Selection bias is possible because clinicians already interested in family support may have been more likely to respond to the survey.
Bottom Line
When treating substance use disorder, clinicians should actively connect families to available support resources because family support is widely viewed as beneficial, yet referral is often not happening.
