Findings bulletins: evidence based commissioning, what is addiction treatment for & when is it effective? Matrix returns

Recent bulletins from the drug and alcohol bank:

What about evidence-based commissioning?

Though central to implementing policy and embedding evidence in practice, the process of ensuring that the pattern of services in an area efficiently meets local needs is itself relatively unevidenced. Such reports as we have from the UK often graphically portray the shortfalls. Is payment-by-results the answer? Not yet, it seems from early results.

What is addiction treatment for?

Hot topic ranges through the Vietnam war and laboratory rat experiments of the 1960s up to today’s recovery focus to pose fundamental questions about what and who drug addiction treatment is for. Along the way, be prepared to question your views not just of rats but of treatment and of addiction itself.

What makes for an effective treatment service?

This updated hot topic asks why some treatment services perform well and others less well, and examines how to improve effectiveness, including monitoring, further training and tighter contracting, and the promising tactic of ‘walk-throughs’ which enable staff to see their service through the patient’s eyes.

Detecting alcohol use disorders with a single question

A US study of young people in rural primary care settings found that a single question about frequency of drinking accurately identified what the US authorities see as problem drinking in this age range, offering a quick way to screen teenagers for risky drinking.

Findings online treatment evidence course starts next week

On 1 June Findings begin a fully updated course on alcohol treatment research in the form of a fortnightly, cell-by-cell ‘bite-size’ introduction to the Alcohol Treatment Matrix. Visit Findings here or follow via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.