ABSTRACT
The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) has become one of the most widely used instruments in the addictions field. As a result of its wide popularity, there are multiple versions of the instrument in use, and a wide range of computer systems used to collect and/or store ASI data. Thus, it has been difficult for different users and systems to share ASI data. This difficulty significantly reduces the value of the information for treatment providers, policy makers, and researchers. This article provides operational definitions and specifications for a "Standard ASI Database." Descriptions for standard variable names, data types, field lengths, value labels, range checks, and programming notes for all items in the fifth edition of the ASI are available electronically from the senior. Examples from the full protocol and the rationale for producing the Standard ASI Database elements are illustrated here. It is hoped that the format suggested will become the "industry standard" for ASI data storage among all users of the ASI and that, regardless of the software used or the method of data collection, there will be a single, standard format for all ASI databases. The potential applications from such a database would benefit treatment providers/clinicians and researchers as well as payers and policy makers.
Subject(s)
Databases as Topic , Severity of Illness Index , Substance-Related Disorders/diagnosis , Humans , SoftwareABSTRACT
This paper reviews the current literature on the definition and classification of drug and alcohol user treatment "programs," and provides a rationale for our approach to measuring the treatment programs in the Drug Evaluation Network System (DENS). The DENS gathers extensive background and recent status data on patients' drug, alcohol, psychiatric, medical, employment, legal, and family problems as they enter a sample of treatment programs throughout the country. The DENS recognized the need for descriptive information on important structural, organizational, and service delivery aspects of the programs in which those patients were treated. To this end, we present our efforts thus far in characterizing and monitoring "service delivery units" or "programs" that are sampled in the DENS system. Specifically, we present development of the Addiction Treatment Inventory (ATI), a standardized measurement instrument to characterize these service delivery units and their services.
Subject(s)
Alcoholism/rehabilitation , Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care , Quality Assurance, Health Care , Substance-Related Disorders/rehabilitation , Combined Modality Therapy , Delivery of Health Care , Health Services Research , Humans , United StatesABSTRACT
The purpose of this article is to test the applicability and utility of the Drug Evaluation Network Study (DENS), a timely electronic information system that tracks trends in substance abuse treatment. This article examines existing large-scale data collection efforts, discusses the rationale and design of the DENS system, and presents results of the DENS pilot phase. Clinical staff from more than 40 service delivery units in five cities were trained to conduct intake assessments on laptop computers with the computerized Addiction Severity Index (ASI). The DENS computer system also included an automatic data transfer protocol to allow regular transmission of ASIs and other data to a central server at Treatment Research Institute. Descriptive information and discharge status were also collected. Several problems were encountered during the early stages of the pilot phase, including obtaining consecutive cases from treatment programs, computerization and software application, treatment staff turnover, and assuring quality of data. Data is presented on 4,300 adults entering drug and/or alcohol treatment at the nonrandomly selected DENS pilot programs between June 1996, and April 6, 1998. Various examples of how DENS data can be used are presented.
