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eeagle - (4/30/2014 3:50:00 PM)
RE:May 2014: RSAT Satisfaction Surveys
Hi,

Patient satisfaction measures are a standard part of health care quality improvement, and are probably as valuable an informational tool for staff of RSAT programs as they for other treatment programs. They are also an important tool for program administrators monitoring the performance of community-based contracted providers of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment or related supports.  Reviewing anonymous client satisfaction survey data from offenders who are receiving these contracted services can identify sub-standard care before it proliferates.
 
Although specialized client/patient satisfaction measures have been developed for behavioral health settings, few are targeted to SUDs, and almost none are targeted to custody settings.

The Agency for Health Care Quality and Research (AHRQ) website has measure matrix, which includes client/patient experience can be accessed by following the link
http://www.qualitymeasures.ahrq.gov/hhs/matrix.aspx 

AHRQ also has an index of measures. This link will take you to the search page for the index with results for:
Behavioral health care patients' satisfaction: adult patients' overall rating of the counseling or treatment they received http://www.qualitymeasures.ahrq.gov/content.aspx?id=26651&search=treatment+satisfaction+survey


A fact sheet about measuring client satisfaction, listed on the AHQR, was developed by the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners. Although the information is geared to medical setting, it is worth reading as much of it applies:
http://go.nationalpartnership.org/site/DocServer/Patient_Experience_Survey_Factsheet.pdf?docID=5627

It is possible to measure the client satisfaction/experience and control for population characteristics, such as court mandated or in custody. At one time, it was thought that the opioin of people receiving mental health care was not a reliable measurement. Measuring clients’ expereince in SUD treatment is new, and most commonly measured by the GAIN assessment, which provides a stand alone treatment satisfaction index,. To learn more about it go to: http://www.gaincc.org/txsi


Here is an example of a recent report from the State of Maine and their report on the data they found from measuring clients’ expereince in SUD treatment: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/samhs/osa/pubs/data/2013/CSS2012ReportFinal.pdf

Regarding concerns about the validity of self report information from offenders, some self report information may be viewed as suspect, and other self report data seems accurate.  The except below is from the report:
Screening and Assessment of Co-Occurring  Disorders in the Justice System,  (Peters, Bartoi and Sherman,  Louis de la Parte Center Mental Health Law and Policy , USF for the National GAINS Center, 2008)

Self-Report Information

Screening and assessment of mental and substance use disorders in the justice system is usually based on self-report information. This information has been found to have good reliability and specificity, but does not always help to identify the full range of symptoms of co-occurring disorders (Drake, Rosenberg, & Mueser, 1996). In general, self-report information is more accurate in detecting alcohol use than drug use (Stone, Greenstein, Gamble, & McClellan, 1993). Individuals in the criminal justice system, particularly those with mental health problems, are often more willing to acknowledge alcohol use rather than illicit drug use and are generally better able to report frequency of use than consequences of use. However, given negative consequences associated with detection of either alcohol or drug use, it is widely accepted that self-report information should be supplemented by collateral information and drug testing.

Self-report information obtained from justice-involved individuals has been found to be valid and useful for treatment planning (Landry, Brochu, & Bergeron, 2003), although self-reports of recent substance abuse are not always accurate (De Jong & Wish, 2000; Gray & Wish, 1999; Lu, Taylor, & Riley, 2001; Magura & Kang, 1997; Yacoubian, VanderWall, Johnson, Urbach, & Peters, 2003). Harrison (1997) found that only half of the arrestees who tested positive for drug use reported recent use. Self-reported substance abuse by justice-involved individuals has been found to be less accurate than that of clients in treatment and patients interviewed in emergency rooms (Magura & Kang, 1997). In post-adjudicatory settings, self-reported criminal history information tends to be more comprehensive than that found in archival records and is quite consistent with archival records for demographic information.


-Niki Miller, RSAT TTA Faculty