Our objective 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, treatment planning software, clinical practice guidelines, reference materials, and other resources into a single system available on the World Wide Web, individual personal computers and corporate intranets. It will allow technology transfer of current research findings into the daily practice of substance abuse treatment in a wide variety of settings. In Phase 1, the feasibility of developing a prototype of the system was established, Phase II is the actual development and evaluation of a prototype. The key technical activities in Phase II will include development of detailed system functional requirements; creation of functional modules of the system, implementation of intelligent methods of building a knowledge hierarchy and knowledge formatting; evaluation and utilization of search and retrieval techniques; and design and implementation of models for human-computer interface. Recent technological advances in computer software and networking allow rapid development of a cost-effective system. This will lead to Phase III - productization of the prototype, marketing, and distribution of the product. Market studies indicate that the product will have broad commercial application to substance abuse field worldwide.
