The Alcohol Treatment Outcome Measure (ATOM): a new clinical tool for standardising outcome measurement for alcohol treatment.

Whilst many instruments have been developed for screening and treatment outcome evaluation studies in the alcohol and other drug treatment (AOD) sector, very few are suitable for routine, ongoing use by clinicians. The aim of the current study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Alcohol Treatment Outcome Measure (ATOM). The ATOM was designed to measure the key outcomes of alcohol treatment whilst remaining a brief and easy to use clinical tool.

Key findings from the WHO collaborative study on substitution therapy for opioid dependence and HIV/AIDS.

Aims: Opioid substitution treatment has been studied extensively in industrialized countries, but there are relatively few studies in developing/transitional countries. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of opioid substitution treatment (OST) in less resourced countries.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Dispensing opioid substitution treatment: practices, attitudes and intentions of community-based pharmacists.

Introduction And Aims: Community-based pharmacists (CPs) play a pivotal role in the provision of opioid substitution treatment (OST). This study examined practices, experiences, attitudes and intentions of a sample of South Australian pharmacists involved with the provision of OST.

Design And Methods: A random sample, stratified by geographic location, of 50 SA CPs were administered a telephone survey.

Determining a cut-off on the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) for alcohol dependence.

Optimal cut-off points on the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) indicative of clinically significant dependence have been determined for a range of substance types. This study aims to determine a cut-off point on SDS that discriminates between the presence and absence of a DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol dependence. A structured interview was administered to 90 alcohol users in Sydney, Australia.

Regional differences in injecting practices and other substance use-related behaviour among entrants into opioid maintenance pharmacotherapy treatment in New South Wales, Australia.

Background: Investigations of injecting drug users (IDUs) have been conducted largely in urban areas. Those studies that compare rural and urban IDUs often utilise small and possibly unrepresentative samples.

Aim: To investigate regional differences in the characteristics of IDUs.

Development and validation of a brief instrument for routine outcome monitoring in opioid maintenance pharmacotherapy services: the brief treatment outcome measure (BTOM).

Aim: To develop a brief, multi-dimensional instrument for routine, on-going treatment outcome monitoring in alcohol and other drug (AOD) services in Australia and examine the underlying psychometric properties. This study focuses on opioid maintenance pharmacotherapy (OMP) services.

Design: Researcher-administered test-retest interviews and clinician administered interviews.