Abstract
Addiction treatment programs have been slow to adopt computerized information systems. Little systematic data exist on programs' technological infrastructures and use of electronic databases to store and analyze client information. Likewise, there is little information available on counselors' access to and use of the Internet for learning about new treatment techniques. Drawing upon data obtained in 2002-2003 from nationally-representative samples of publicly- and privately-funded addiction treatment centers and their counselors, this article describes the current state of the field in terms of data system availability and Internet usage. The availability of client-level databases is variable but continues to evolve. Programs maintaining electronic client data appear to be at an advantage for implementing outcomes monitoring activities. While counselors' access to computers is high, their use of the Internet and the NIDA website is low. The implications of these findings, and directions for future research, are discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 368-378 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Evaluation and Program Planning |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 2005 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank the anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. We also gratefully acknowledge funding support for this research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (research grants R01DA13110 and R01DA14482). Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of NIDA.
Keywords
- Client records
- Computer systems
- Information technology
- Internet use
- Outcomes monitoring
- Substance abuse treatment
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Business and International Management
- Social Psychology
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Strategy and Management
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
