Patient experience of an abstinence-based Indigenous residential treatment program in Northern Ontario: a descriptive qualitative study.

Background: Indigenous peoples with substance use disorders (SUD) and intergenerational trauma (IGT) face complex healthcare needs. Therefore understanding Indigenous patient experiences is crucial for enhancing care delivery, fostering engagement, and achieving optimal outcomes, yet few studies explore the motivations for seeking, staying in, and utilizing treatment from an Indigenous perspective. The goal of this study was to understand the patient experience with an abstinence-based treatment model in a residential treatment setting.