Stay Informed

Sign up for news & alerts

Already signed up?
Login here
What Can I Do?


Get Help
Need alcohol or drug help for yourself or someone else? GET HELP
Resources
Resources
Find useful publications, online documents & more.


DrugScreening.org


 
Telephone, Online Addiction Surveys Called Reliable
December 31, 2002

Email
Email
Print
Print
SubscribeSubscribe
News Summary

Preliminary findings from a pilot study found that telephone and online versions of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) are just as reliable as the clinician-administered ASI, Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly reported Nov. 25.

The ASI is the most widely used assessment tool in the addiction field.

For the study 88 patients took part in three sessions, one involving the clinician-administered ASI, another featuring a self-administered ASI via the Internet, and the third using telephone-response technology.

Benjamin Brodey, M.D., M.P.H., chief executive and director of research for TeleSage Inc., which specializes in creating telephone and Internet survey software, said patients who used the automated surveys were more honest in their responses about their use of alcohol and other drugs.

"With the clinician, you worry about disapproval from them. The incentive is to minimize how much you're using," Brodey said. "A machine is not going to frown at you."

He added that the Internet and telephone methods are beneficial for tracking outcomes. "The automated self-administered ASI is easy to use for outcomes tracking, as well as cost and time efficient," Brodey said. "These features will benefit clinic directors, government agencies, and any facility required to use the ASI."

The automated surveys also free clinicians from the time-consuming paperwork involved in traditional information gathering, Brodey said.

Telesage plans to have the ASI on a website by March 2003.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Your Turn! Post a public comment (read guidelines):

Name:

Comment:
(limit 200
words)
Enter this word
(help):		 Change

GUIDELINES: 
To keep this feature useful for everyone, please:

  1. Keep it clean, courteous, focused, and on-topic. Comments are meant for thoughtful discussion of the article published above.

  2. Do not post personal requests for help or general promotions for your organization (Get help).

  3. Proof your comments carefully, use good spelling and punctuation, and don't use ALL CAPS. Comments are published immediately and cannot be edited.

Deceptive, slanderous and commercially-motivated posts are prohibited. We reserve the right to remove comments not conforming to these guidelines. (Report a comment).

Have questions or feedback? Contact us.