Organizational and Resource Assessments for Tx. Provider

Texas Christian University, Fort Worth TX

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal focuses on developing an assessment and information system for drug abuse treatment providers that will monitor organizational attributes and program resources, and link these factors to client performance and program changes over time. It uses our Program Change Model (Simpson, in press) as a conceptual framework for this technology transfer process. The proposed sample will consist of 120 outpatient drug-free community-based treatment providers. This work represents the next stage of research designed to better understand the treatment process and technology transfer research planned by our team. It expands applications of our client-level Treatment Process Model (i.e., a framework for integrating interventions with client assessments of needs and measures of performance changes over time) to include new elements that address program-level change. Our primary goal is to develop reliable instruments that can measure and provide feedback on program resources and organizational dynamics (along with aggregated client data) for the purpose of clinical management in real world community settings where the majority of substance abuse treatment occurs. These also are the major issues program directors rated as among their highest priorities in our recent surveys of training needs. While the ability to effectively use information technology is increasing at most agencies, integrated data systems that meet these crucial clinical management needs have not been developed and tested. Therefore, specific aims of this proposed project are to - (1) develop a set of field instruments and procedures (i.e., the Organizational and Resource Assessments, ORA) that treatment programs are willing to implement and use; (2) demonstrate the feasibility and utility of these assessments in a sample of 120 outpatient drug free treatment providers from two regions in the U.S.; (3) monitor organizational changes over time and relate them to client-level indicators of program effectiveness; (4) plan and evaluate a training protocol for program directors on how to use ORA information systems for improving program management and functioning; and (5) study the process of program change and the long-range implementation of this new technology.