Joint publications
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The number of people seeking treatment for drug problems is a leading indicator of drug use patterns and prevalence. Data collected from this group offer a valuable 'window' onto an otherwise hidden population and a means of assessing the performance of treatment services, client needs and the effectiveness of policy. Although data on drug treatment are available in many countries, there is still a lack of standardisation in data coverage, concepts and methods and tools. Guidance for the measurement of drug treatment demand is a practical toolkit designed to help countries compile comparable data on the demand for treatment of drug problems. It looks at the issues to be addressed in order to reach an internationally consistent dataset on drug treatment demand. The guidelines include a three-stage model for building the foundations of a treatment demand information system, a core set of standard data items/codes and common definitions of treatment, drug use, treatment centres, clients and units of measurement. |
