DoubleTree Hotel
Rockville, Maryland
March 19, 1998

Bennett Fletcher, Ph.D.
Chief, Services Research Branch
Division of Clinical and Services Research

Summary

Meeting Goals

• Establish short- and long-term goals for NIDA’s health services research agenda in the area of effectiveness and outcomes of drug abuse treatment and prevention.
• Determine agenda items for the NIDA meeting, Forging the Link: Health Services Research on Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment, preceding the Annual Meeting of the Association for Health Services Research in June 1998
• Develop strategies to expand the number of new researchers in the field.

Meeting Process

The meeting was co-chaired by Barbara Havassy, Ph.D., and Jerome Platt, Ph.D. Dr. Fletcher presented an expanded outline of the agenda topics for the group to consider. Participants discussed a wide-ranging list of topics and focused on prioritizing the research areas. Several models were developed to guide the discussion.

Content

Research Areas

• Time in treatment
• Evaluating treatment processes
• Measuring performance
• Theory-based models of treatment and recovery
• Models of service delivery
• Research methodology
• Translating knowledge into practice
• Evaluating cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit
• Special populations

Treatment Systems and Recovery Models

• Treatment process and outcomes
• Organization/management of programs
• Cost-effectiveness/cost-benefit    
• Technology transfer

Proposed Model

• Entry
• Modality
• Intensity
• Placement/matching
• Ancillary services
• Aftercare

For each area above, consider:

• Approach
• Dose
• Duration

Three Dimensions of Substance Abuse Treatment

• Patient
• Program
• Environment

Prevention Factors

• Dissemination of efficacious programs and principles
• Programmatic translation to community level
  • Readiness for service
  • Matching prevention services to prevention needs
  • Adaptation of existing service delivery systems
• Cost-effectiveness/cost-benefit
• Financing
• Methodology

Strategies to Expand Number of Health Services Researchers

• Expand postgraduate training programs and funding
• Encourage linkages between clinical and health services research
• Develop an agenda, an approach, and a network group

Frequently Recurring Themes

• Exporting/transporting treatment
• Access to treatment
• Knowledge dissemination
• Methodology and outcome measures

Products and Follow-Up

• Two panels will be formed for the NIDA-sponsored meeting, Forging the Link: Health Services Research on Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment, to be held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Association for Health Services Research in June 1998. Individuals will be selected to present issues in organization and management in the following areas:
• State of the science
• Future research directions
• Meeting participants are encouraged to attend the NIDA meeting, which will be held June 20, 1998.