A scoping review for evaluation of drug rehabilitation outcomes and impacts in Ireland

Description

The Health Research Board (HRB) is a state agency that supports research and provides evidence to prevent illness, improve health and transform patient care. The HRB has 65 staff. Our annual budget is in excess of €45m and we manage a research investment portfolio of approximately €200m. The agency is funded mainly by the Department of Health, and Board members are appointed by the Minister for Health. This aim of this review is to determine the best approach to measuring rehabilitation outcomes in Irish drug services. The National Drugs Strategy [1] states that there is a need to develop knowledge on rehabilitation outcomes and this will be achieved by: Undertaking a study on rehabilitation outcomes, which takes into account the experience of service users and their families, and examines their outcomes across multiple domains, building on work already undertaken. The review will recommend an evaluation methodology that can demonstrate what drug treatment, rehabilitation and other support services contribute to the goals of recovery from dependence on drugs and enable social reintegration. Following this review of rehabilitation evaluation options, the HRB will commission research to evaluate rehabilitation outcomes, and this review will inform our considerations around the most appropriate methodology for this outcomes evaluation. The review will: • Recommend appropriate research design options for measuring the impact and outcomes of the interventions provided in Irish drug treatment and rehabilitation services • Identify the rehabilitation impacts and outcomes for the users of these services • Identify the minimum sample or population size, duration of follow-up, and number of data collection time points for quantitative analysis • Identify approaches to minimising loss to follow-up and their effectiveness The recommendation will be based on an assessment of the routine information resources currently available in the Irish health system and in Irish research