Research project DR/05 (Research action DR)
This study is a preliminary study for an overall evaluation study on treatment services for patients with dual disorders. Based on the existing scientific literature (guidelines, standards, protocols and study reviews) and our own experiences in national and international treatment programs, we will give an advice about the feasibility of an evaluation research in Belgium. After a thorough consideration of these research findings, we will then propose a research protocol.
The evaluation research explores the effectiveness of different treatment programs for people with concurrent severe mental illness, in this case psychotic disorders, and substance use disorders. This means that we will extensively compare the standard care with the more intensive inpatient treatment programs, the so-called pilot treatment programs (1.) . Given their integrated treatment care and continuous care, we expect the pilot treatment programs to be superior to the standard care.
This feasibility research comprises the following objectives:
1. A research on the feasibility of the evaluation research.
A thorough investigation of official treatment guidelines and results of study reviews precedes our advice about the meaningful and practical feasibility of an evaluation research in Belgium.
2. Development of a research protocol.
(a) Conceptualisation of our target and control groups.
(b) Choice of independent and dependent variables. Each variable has to be described on the following levels:
- The individual patient.
- The socio-familial network.
- Care network.
- Social services.
- The treatment staff.
(c) Development of a specific methodology, for instance the definition of suitable instruments to measure the above mentioned variables.
(d) Proposition of a research procedure.
(1.) A complete description of these programs can be found in the Omzendbrief vanuit de Cel Psychiatrische Zorgverlening dd 06/05/2002 (ref. PSY/AA/162/2002).
Haalbaarheidsonderzoek voor de evaluatie van behandelcentra voor patiënten met dubbeldiagnose : eindrapport van de eerste fase
Brussel : Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid, 2003 (SP1231)
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