NCJ Number
191829
Journal
Drug and Alcohol Review Volume: 20 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2001 Pages: 295-298
Date Published
September 2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article presents a study to develop a set of standards that would enable the collection of Australian national data on drug treatment populations and the services they receive.
Abstract
The pilot study of the National Minimum Data Set for Clients of Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment (NMDS-AODTS) services involved the collection of client and service data items over a six-week period in 1998. The data comprised items covering administrative information, socio-demographics, drugs of concern, methods of use, services provided to the client, referral, and separation information. Data was collected at the commencement and cessation of every treatment episode. Agencies from all States and territories participated in the pilot study, with 19 agencies completing the study. Results showed that a variety of agencies, operating in vastly different circumstances could effectively collect an NMDS-AODTS. This proved to be a valuable exercise in refinement of the dataset design and collections methods. There is widespread support from the treatment stakeholders for the concept of a national minimum dataset as well as the specific data item proposals. The objectives of the collection are to monitor broad patterns of service utilization; monitor access to services for specific population groups; inform planning and development of service delivery strategies; and to support the development of strategies for benchmarking. The long-term feasibility of the collection will rest in its relevance to treatment providers and policy makers. Ongoing development of the data items is required to ensure they reflect trends in client characteristics and service provision issues--including treatment outcome. 1 table, 12 references