Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Psychiatry
Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research article

Identifying perceived barriers to monitoring service quality among substance abuse treatment providers in South Africa

Authors: Bronwyn Myers, Zainonisa Petersen, Rehana Kader, J Randy Koch, Ron Manderscheid, Rajen Govender, Charles DH Parry

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2014

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

A performance measurement system is planned for South African substance abuse treatment services. Provider-level barriers to implementing these systems have been identified in the United States, but little is known about the nature of these barriers in South Africa. This study explored the willingness of South African substance abuse treatment providers’ to adopt a performance measurement system and perceived barriers to monitoring service quality that would need to be addressed during system development.

Methods

Three focus group discussions were held with treatment providers from two of the nine provinces in South Africa. These providers represented the diverse spread of substance abuse treatment services available in the country. The final sample comprised 21 representatives from 12 treatment facilities: eight treatment centres in the Western Cape and four in KwaZulu-Natal. Content analysis was used to extract core themes from these discussions.

Results

Participants identified barriers to the monitoring of service quality that included outdated modes of collecting data, personnel who were already burdened by paperwork, lack of time to collect data, and limited skills to analyse and interpret data. Participants recommended that developers engage with service providers in a participatory manner to ensure that service providers are invested in the proposed performance measurement system.

Conclusion

Findings show that substance abuse treatment providers are willing to adopt a performance measurement system and highlight several barriers that need to be addressed during system development in order to enhance the likelihood that this system will be successfully implemented.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Herman AA, Stein DJ, Seedat S, Heeringa SG, Moomal H, Williams DR: The South African Stress and Health (SASH) study: 12-month and lifetime prevalence of common mental disorders. South Afr Med J. 2009, 99: 339-344.
2.
Pasche S, Myers B: Substance misuse trends in South Africa. Hum Psychopharmacol Clin Exp. 2012, 27: 338-341. 10.1002/hup.2228.CrossRef
3.
Degenhardt L, Whiteford HA, Ferrari AJ, Baxter AJ, Charlson FJ, Hall WD, et al: Global burden of disease attributable to illicit drug use and dependence: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2013, early online publication. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61530-5
4.
Wechsberg WM, Wu L, Zule WA, Parry CD, Browne FA, Luseno WK, Kline T, Gentry A: Substance abuse, treatment needs and access among female sex workers and non-sex workers in Pretoria, South Africa. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2009, 4: 11-10.1186/1747-597X-4-11. DOI:10.1186/1747-597X-4-11CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
5.
Myers B, Louw J, Pasche S: Inequitable access to substance abuse treatment services in Cape Town, South Africa. SATPP. 2010, 5: 28-10.1186/1747-597X-5-28. DOI:10.1186/1747-597X-5-28CrossRef
6.
Myers B, Fakier N, Louw J: Stigma, treatment beliefs, and substance abuse treatment use in historically disadvantaged communities. Afr J Psychiat. 2009, 12: 218-222.CrossRef
7.
Parry CDH, Petersen P, Carney T, Needle R: Opportunities for enhancing and integrating HIV and drug services for drug using vulnerable populations in South Africa. Int J Drug Pol. 2010, 21: 289-295. 10.1016/j.drugpo.2009.11.008.CrossRef
8.
Dos Santos M, Rataemane ST, Fourie D, Trathen B: An approach to heroin use disorder intervention within the South African context: A content analysis study. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2010, 5: 13-10.1186/1747-597X-5-13. DOI:10.1186/1747-597X-5-13CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
9.
Mojtabai R, Crum RM: Perceived unmet need for alcohol and drug use treatments and future use of services: Results from a longitudinal study. Drug Alcohol Depen. 2013, 127: 59-64. 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.06.012.CrossRef
10.
Institute of Medicine: Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions: Quality Chasm Series. 2005, Washington: National Academies Press
11.
Quanbeck A, Madden L, Edmundson E, Ford J, McConnell K, McCarty D, Gustafson D: A business case for quality improvement in addiction treatment: evidence from the NIATx collaborative. J Behav Health Ser R. 2012, 39: 91-100. 10.1007/s11414-011-9259-6.CrossRef
12.
McCorry F, Garnick DW, Bartlett J, Cotter F, Chalk M: Developing performance measures for alcohol and other drug services in managed care plans. Washington Circle Group. Jt Comm J Qual Improv. 2000, 26: 633-643.PubMed
13.
Garnick DW, Lee MT, Chalk M, Gastfriend D, Horgan CM, McCorry F, McLellan AT, Merrick EL: Establishing the feasibility of performance measures for alcohol and other drugs. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2000, 23: 375-385.CrossRef
14.
Harris AHS, Kivlahan D, Bowe T, Finney JW, Humphreys KH: Developing and validating process measures of health care quality: An application to alcohol use disorder treatment. Med Care. 2009, 47: 1244-1250. 10.1097/MLR.0b013e3181b58882.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Hoffman KA, Quanbeck A, Ford JH, Wrede F, Wright D, Lambert-Wacey D, Chvojka P, Hanchett A, McCarty D: Improving substance abuse data systems to measure “waiting time to treatment”: lessons learned from a quality improvement initiative. Health Inform. J. 2011, 17: 256-265. 10.1177/1460458211420090.CrossRef
16.
Panas L, Caspi Y, Fournier E, McCarty D: Performance measures for outpatient substance abuse services: group versus individual counselling. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2003, 25: 271-278. 10.1016/S0740-5472(03)00142-9.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Resnick S, Griffiths M: Service quality in alcohol treatment: a qualitative study. Int J Ment Health Ad. 2010, 8: 453-470. 10.1007/s11469-009-9216-2.CrossRef
18.
National Treatment Agency (NTA): A Long-Term Study of the Outcomes of Drug Users Leaving Treatment. 2010, London: NTA
19.
Rotondi NK, Rush B: Monitoring utilization of a large scale addiction treatment system: the drug and alcohol treatment information system (DATIS). Subst Abuse R Treat. 2012, 6: 73-84.CrossRef
20.
Nabitz U, van den Brink W, Walburg J: A quality framework for addiction treatment programs. Addict Behav. 2005, 30: 1254-1260. 10.1016/j.addbeh.2004.12.006.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Garnick DW, Horgan CM, Acevedo A, McCorry F, Weisner C: Performance measures for substance use disorders- what research is needed. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2012, 7: 18-10.1186/1940-0640-7-18. DOI:10.1186/1940-0640-7-18CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
22.
23.
Myers B, Petersen Z, Kader R, Parry CDH: Moving beyond access. Towards a quality-oriented substance abuse treatment system in South Africa. South Afr Med J. 2012, 102: 667-668.
24.
Forman R, Crits-Cristoph P, Kaynak O, Worley M, Hantula DA, Kulaga A, Rotrosen J, et al: A feasibility study of a web-based performance improvement system for substance abuse treatment providers. J Subs Abuse Treat. 2007, 33: 363-371. 10.1016/j.jsat.2007.01.007.CrossRef
25.
Herbeck DM, Gonzalez R, Rawson RA: Performance improvement in addiction treatment: efforts in California. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2010, S6: 261-268.CrossRef
26.
Koch JR, Breland AB, Shawver MN, Cropsey K: Assessing the utility of consumer surveys for improving the quality of behavioral healthcare services. J Behav Health Ser R. 2011, 38: 234-248. 10.1007/s11414-010-9211-1.CrossRef
27.
Kilbourne AM, Keyser D, Pincus HA: Challenges and opportunities in measuring the quality of mental health care. Canadian J Psychiat. 2010, 55: 549-557.
28.
Ogborne AC, Braun K, Rush BR: Developing an integrated information system for specialised addiction treatment agencies. J Behav Health Ser R. 1998, 25: 100-107. 10.1007/BF02287505.CrossRef
29.
Wisdom JP, Ford JK, Hayes RA, Edmundson E, Hoffman K, McCarty D: Addiction treatment agencies’ use of data: a qualitative assessment. J Behav Health Ser R. 2006, 33: 394-407. 10.1007/s11414-006-9039-x.CrossRef
30.
Pinto RM, Yu G, Spector AY, Gorroochurn P, McCarty D: Substance abuse treatment providers’ involvement in research is associated with willingness to use findings in practice. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2010, 39: 188-194. 10.1016/j.jsat.2010.05.006.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
31.
Connell J, Zurn P, Stilwell B, Awases M, Braichet JM: Sub-Saharan Africa: Beyond the health worker migration crisis?. Soc Sci Med. 2007, 64: 1876-1891. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.12.013.CrossRefPubMed
32.
33.
Temmingh H, Myers B: Clinical Treatment of Substance Use Disorders in South Africa. Substance Use and Abuse in South Africa: Brain Behavioural and Other Perspectives. Edited by: Ellis G, Stein D, Meintjies E, Thomas K. 2012, Cape Town: University of Cape Town Press, 329-366.
34.
Graneheim UH, Lundman B: Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurs Educ Today. 2004, 24: 105-112. 10.1016/j.nedt.2003.10.001.CrossRef
35.
36.
Burnhams NH, Myers B, Fakier N, Parry CDH, Carelse J: Substance abuse surveillance among district social workers in South Africa. Drugs Educ Prev Pol. 2010, 3: 1-10.
37.
Addington D, Kyle T, Desai S, Wang J: Facilitators and barriers to implementing quality measurement in primary mental health care: a systematic review. Can Fam Physician. 2010, 56: 1322-1331.PubMedPubMedCentral
38.
Ginsberg C, Sheridan S: Limitations of and barriers to using performance measurement: purchasers’ perspectives. Health Care Fin. Rev. 2001, 22: 49-57.
39.
Veillard JH, Schiotz ML, Guiseet AL, Brown AD, Klazinga NS: The PATH project in eight European countries: an evaluation. Int J Health Care Qual Assur. 2012, 26: 703-713.CrossRef
40.
Luxford K, Safran DG, Delbanco T: Promoting patient-centered care: a qualitative study of facilitators and barriers in health care organisations with a reputation for improving the patient experience. Int J Qual Health Care. 2011, 23: 510-515. 10.1093/intqhc/mzr024.CrossRefPubMed
41.
Castelnuovo B, Kiragga A, Afayo V, Ncube M, Orama R, Magero S, Okwi P, Manabe YC, Kambugu A: Implementation of a provider-based electronic medical records and improvement of the quality of data in a large HIV program in sub-Saharan Africa. Plos One. 2012, 7: e51631-10.1371/journal.pone.0051631.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
42.
Kallander K, Tibenderana JK, Akpogheneta OJ, Strachan DL, Hill Z, ten Asbroek AH, Conteh L: Mobile Health (mHealth) approaches and lessons for increased performance and retention of community health workers in low-and middle-income countries: a review. J Med Intern Res. 2013, 15: e17-
43.
Leon N, Schneider H, Daviaude E: Applying a framework to assessing the health system challenges to scaling up mHealth in South Africa. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2012, 12: 123-10.1186/1472-6947-12-123. DOI:10.1186/1472-6947-12-123CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
44.
Tai B, McLellan T: Integrating information on substance use disorders into electronic health record systems. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2012, 43: 12-19. 10.1016/j.jsat.2011.10.010.CrossRefPubMed
45.
Institute of Medicine: Bridging the gap between practice and research: forging partnerships between community-based treatment and research. 1998, Washington: National Academies Press
46.
Cullen AE, Coryn CLS, Rugh J: The politics and consequences of including stakeholders in international development evaluation. Am J Eval. 2011, 32: 345-361. 10.1177/1098214010396076.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Identifying perceived barriers to monitoring service quality among substance abuse treatment providers in South Africa
Authors
Bronwyn Myers
Zainonisa Petersen
Rehana Kader
J Randy Koch
Ron Manderscheid
Rajen Govender
Charles DH Parry
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-14-31

Other articles of this Issue 1/2014

BMC Psychiatry 1/2014 Go to the issue

Research article

Disorder-specific cognitive profiles in major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder

Research article

Differentiating ADHD from oral language difficulties in children: role of movements and effects of stimulant medication

Research article

Rapid emotional processing in relation to trauma-related symptoms as revealed by magnetic source imaging

Study protocol

Changing the obesogenic environment of severe mentally ill residential patients: ELIPS, a cluster randomised study design

Research article

Freiburg Questionnaire of linguistic pragmatics (FQLP): psychometric properties based on a psychiatric sample

Research article

Parental care influences leukocyte telomere length with gender specificity in parents and offsprings