Translating addictions research into evidence-based practice: The Polaris CD outcomes management system

Converting the findings from addictions studies into information actionable by (non-research) treatment programs is important to improving program outcomes. This paper describes the translation of the findings of studies on Patient-Services matching, prediction of patient response to treatment (Expected Treatment Response) and prediction of dropout to provide evidence-based decision support in routine treatment. The findings of the studies and their application to the development of an outcomes management system are described. Implementation issues in a network of addictions treatment programs are discussed. The work illustrates how outcomes management systems can play an important role in translating research into practice.

Research Highlights
► Findings from addiction research are important to improvement of treatment outcomes.
► Outcomes management systems can make the findings accessible to clinicians.
► Issues of system construction and implementation are both important to success.
► Few patients report negative attitudes to clinically relevant assessments.