Development of a Care System for Drug Addict Patients with High Risk of Violence in Community

Abstract

This research and development study aimed to develop a care system for patients with substance use disorders at high risk of violence in the community and to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed care system. The study was conducted in three phases: 1) situational assessment, 2) model development, and 3) evaluation. The participants consisted of 70 substance abuse patients at high risk of violence, 70 caregivers, and 26 community health network personnel selected using purposive sampling. The study was conducted from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025. Research instruments included the Overt Aggression Scale (OAS), Stress Test-5 (ST-5), drug relapse assessment form, missed appointment assessment form, follow-up evaluation form, focus group discussion guidelines, and in-depth interview guidelines. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics at a significance level of 0.05.

            The findings revealed that the developed care system for substance abuse patients at high risk of violence in the community, named the “COMMUNITY Model,” consisted of nine components: 1) Community Risk Screening and Early Warning Surveillance, 2) Mobile Outreach and Rapid Home Visits, 3) Continuous Symptom and Behavioral Monitoring, 4) Multidisciplinary Care Team, 5) Use of Google Maps and LINE Group for Patient Monitoring, 6) Family and Community Network Participation, 7) Individual Care Plan, 8) Treatment Continuity and 9) Empowering Families in Patient Care. Finally, the mean post-intervention assessment scores were significantly better than the pre-intervention scores (p < .001)