Published in:
01-08-2017 | Brief Report
Need for and Readiness to Implement a Performance Measurement System for South Africa’s Substance Abuse Treatment Services
Authors:
Bronwyn Myers, Rajen Govender, Ron Manderscheid, Petal Petersen Williams, Kim Johnson, J. Randy Koch
Published in:
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
|
Issue 4/2017
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Abstract
Various concerns remain about the quality of publicly-funded substance abuse treatment in South Africa, including the lack of performance measurement. Eighty-one treatment providers in the Western Cape were asked their perceptions of treatment quality and beliefs about the utility and feasibility of implementing a performance measurement system. Most participants thought their treatment programme was effective (92.3 %), with the majority basing this belief on anecdotal reports (74.2 %). Almost all thought the objective assessment of treatment quality could be useful (97.2 %) and that implementing a system for monitoring treatment quality was feasible (86.8 %). About two-thirds (65.9 %) believed that the quality of treatment should be assessed routinely. Findings indicate a clear need for the standardized assessment of substance abuse treatment quality. Despite lack of an evaluation culture, providers are open to implementing a performance measurement system and believe that such implementation as part of routine activities is quite feasible.