Addiction treatment agencies' use of data: A qualitative assessment

Jennifer P. Wisdom, James H. Ford, Randy A. Hayes, Eldon Edmundson, Kim Hoffman, Dennis McCarty

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Scopus citations

Abstract

Addiction treatment agencies typically do not prioritize data collection, management, and analysis, and these agencies may have barriers to integrating data in agency quality improvement. This article describes qualitative findings from an intervention designed to teach 23 addiction treatment agencies how to make data-driven decisions to improve client access to and retention in care. Agencies demonstrated success adopting process improvement and data-driven strategies to make improvements in care. Barriers to adding a process improvement and data-driven focus to care included a lack of a data-based decision making culture, lack of expertise and other resources, treatment system complexity, and resistance. Factors related to the successful adoption of process-focused data include agency leadership valuing data and providing resources, staff training on data collection and use, sharing of change results, and success in making data-driven decisions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)394-407
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Behavioral Health Services and Research
Volume33
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2006

Keywords

  • Health services needs and demand
  • Information services
  • Quality of health care
  • Substance abuse treatment centers

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Health Policy
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Addiction treatment agencies' use of data: A qualitative assessment'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this