The Role of Treatment Data in Studying the Epidemiology of Substance Use and Abuse

5. Conclusion

In this chapter a number of uses of treatment data to support epidemiological research, analysis, and interpretation were reviewed. It is clear that treatment data alone or integrated with other sources of information can provide important insights into the epidemiology of drug abuse. The major contributions appear to be in estimating trends and comparing these across geographic or demographic groups. The utility of treatment data to accurately estimate prevalence is limited by the proportionately few persons who enter treatment.

Despite these limitations, much more can and should be done to better utilize the rich information from treatment data bases. The first is to reach consensus on key questions on usage patterns, institutional contact (e.g. jails, social service, health care, etc), and treatment program admission that will enable cross study comparison and the potential aggregation of data. The second approach requires a systematic investigation of the influences on treatment admissions, particularly the substance abuse patterns and the ecology of treatment services. With the accumulation of data over the past decades such investigation should be feasible. Finally, we need strong theoretical models and heuristic hypotheses to guide future analyses and interpretations involving treatment data. The increased use of treatment data in a sound framework should advance not only our scientific knowledge about drug use epidemiology, but also help guide policy and practice to better address the needs of the millions suffering from drug abuse and dependence.