Estudo Comparativo Das Características Históricas, Sociodemográficas E De Adesão Dos Usuários De Substâncias Psicoativas De Um Programa Ambulatorial Público

Introduction: The use of lawful and unlawful substances has grown recently in Brazil. It leads to political, economical, social and cultural problems. Thus, there was also an increase of demand for specialized treatments. So it is extremely important to study and categorize the users profiles in order to improve the service management provided. Objective: To define the population served in alcohol and drugs Medical Specialties Clinic treatment program, comparing data from the first year of the service to the one from the second year regarding historical, socio-demographic and patient adherence to treatment characteristics. Method: observational, descriptive and retrospective study. The sample included 880 patients. Associations between categorical variables by using Fisher's chi-squared and exact tests were observed. Results: profile with predominance of males in both years. In the first year, singles sought treatment, and in the second one, the number of married people increased. Average age was 37, classes C and D (first year), and E (second year). Most held previous treatments, with an average of 2.6 treatments. 97.1% used alcohol, 85.8% and 68.0% used tobacco and marijuana. The problems due to substance abuse were similar between the two periods: 78% cited psychological and family problems, followed by problems at work and health (67.8%). The sample of the first year had a higher percentage of improvement (8.0% vs. 4.2%) and abandonment (39.2% against 26.5%). Conclusion: Knowing the service and the user is essential to manage treatments and to achieve better results. Keywords: user profile; specialized outpatient treatment; previous treatment.