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| Robert Forman, Ph.D.
Lead Investigator
Treatment Research Institute
University of Pennsylvania
600 Public Ledger Building
150 South Independence Mall West
Philadelphia, PA 19106-3575
bforman@tresearch.org |
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Although
accrediting organizations, funding sources, and other agencies require
community treatment providers to monitor performance, there are no
studies showing that this is an effective practice or that it helps
addiction treatment patients, clinicians, or managers. This study
tests whether one such strategy, feeding back performance data to
clinic staff, will improve patient attendance and abstinence. Ratings
by patients of their group counseling experience, plus information
on patient attendance and retention, will be reported to clinicians
and program managers twice a month. Clinicians will receive reports
for their caseload; managers will receive clinic-wide reports. Every
month managers and clinicians will discuss the clinic-wide reports,
identify opportunities for improvement, and make plans to increase
the clinic-wide ratings. This study also measures the impact of the
system on manager/clinician relations, staff job satisfaction, and
whether clinicians and managers will continue to use the system after
the study ends.
Patient Feedback Web Site
At the Patient Feedback web site, which is now open to the public, you can find news about the protocol, PDF versions of the manuals and questionnaires used by the researchers and CTPs, and information about patient feedback in general. Check it out: http://www.patient-feedback.org (this website is currently unavailable, August 2010).
Primary Findings: The project demonstrated that the implementation of a semiautomatic performance improvement system directed at clinicians in addiction treatment facilities was generally feasible from both a research and a clinical perspective. The four participating clinics continued to use the system after the intervention phase, suggesting that implementation was sustainable. While the typical clinician accessed feedback reports only 2.3 times (out of a maximum of 8) over the course of the study, all clinicians participated in team meetings and were potential beneficiaries of suggestions for performance improvement and action steps that arose out of these meetings. In general, average alliance, treatment satisfaction, and drug/alcohol use outcomes were favorable across all assessments.
Source: Forman R, et al. A feasibility study of a web-based performance improvement system for substance abuse treatment providers. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 2007;33:363-371. [get article] |
| LATEST PUBLICATIONS AND DATA |
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| NODES & CTPs |
SEARCH |
LINK
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| Delaware Valley (Lead) |
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www
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| Great Lakes Regional |
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Chelsea Arbor Addiction Treatment
Center |
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www |
| New York |
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www
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Addiction Research and Treatment
Corporation |
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www |
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Lower Eastside Service Center (LESC)
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www |
| North Carolina |
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www
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SouthLight, Inc. |
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www |
| Northern New England
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www
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AdCare Hospital |
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www |
| Southern Consortium
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www
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Dorchester Alcohol and Drug Commission |
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| OTHER RESOURCES |
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| NIDA protocol page |
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