Information System for Substance Abuse Practitioners

Ellis, Alicja

Abstract

The objective of this proposal is to develop and commercialize an interactive multimedia information support system for substance abuse practitioners. This system will integrate client records, on-line assessment instruments, medical practice guidelines, reference materials, case studies, and other resources into a single personal-computer-based system. In Phase l, the feasibility of developing a prototype of the system will be established. The key technical activities in Phase l will include the selection of an appropriate system development environment; definition of architecture and components; identification of intelligent methods of building a knowledge hierarchy and knowledge formatting; selection of search and retrieval techniques; and definition of models for human- computer interface. Most of the proposed system sub-components are available on the market. Those that are not will be developed with the help of research findings to maximize efficiency. Recent technological advances in software, hardware, high performance computing and telecommunications allow development of a cost-effective system. This work will provide the foundation for Phase II - development and testing of a prototype. The product will have wide commercial application to health care, beyond the substance abuse subfield; market studies have already been initiated.

Proposed Commercial Applications

The primary market for this interactive multimedia support system will be substance abuse treatment clinics and centers, assessment organizations, hospitals and individual practitioners. However, the product will have broader application to other health care organizations which are seeking ways and means to transfer information and knowledge to various audiences, or to perform searches of data bases for matching cases. The system in the template form will also be marketed to VARs outside the initial health care market.