As with inpatient programs, outpatient care is heterogeneous
and may differ in duration, intensity and care settings (Figure 2).
Outpatient programs are more versatile in that they may be standalone
treatment, or can be supplementary aftercare following
inpatient treatment. These programs may target individuals with low
severity of alcohol use disorder, those with social and environmental
stability, or those who prefer (or require) to maintain family and
career obligations [14-16,21]. As health care priorities center on
increasing accessibility to treatment programs and reducing costs,
creating outpatient programs that are similar in outcome to inpatient
programs may have the potential to reduce costs without sacrificing
efficacy [14-16,19,25]. More traditional outpatient programs can also
be made more flexible by being accessible at various times of the day,
or at weekends.