Future research must take into account both patient
and treatment factors in order to accurately identify which aspects
of treatment are necessary and sufficient for a given patient profile.
An ideal system would provide access to both types of care, inpatient
and outpatient, depending upon needs. However, it is likely that the
long-term move to increased outpatient care is likely to continue for
economic reasons, and the evidence from the published literature
shows, that for most individuals, a long-term outpatient program is
likely better than a shorter-term inpatient/residential program.