Recent Achievements in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Health Services Research

Excerpt

Alcohol and drug abuse health services research (ADAHSR) encompasses a broad and varied array of issues and populations. This breadth is shown in definitions from the two federal agencies most directly involved in ADAHSR, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Both agencies are in agreement that ADAHSR is a multidisciplinary enterprise covering a broad array of questions, both macro (e.g., financing systems) and micro (e.g., personal beliefs and behaviors), and that ADAHSR addresses these questions in diverse populations and settings, including individuals, families, institutions, and communities (see Fig. 1). Both institutes seek to stimulate research to ultimately improve the quality of alcohol and drug abuse treatment and services, focusing on various dimensions including access, utilization, cost, organization, and management with the ultimate goal (either proximal or distal) of improving individual and public health.

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