Epidemiology, health systems research, and statistics/data systems / report of an ADAMHA workgroup.

  • United States. Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration.
Date:
1978
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Epidemiology, health systems research, and statistics/data systems / report of an ADAMHA workgroup. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    related areas (the other three examining, respectively, treatment assessment research, manpower and training, and prevention). This Workgroup was charged with providing a comprehensive review of ADAMHA activities bearing on the National scope of ADM service needs and services, and suggesting ways to enhance the further development and application of research findings from these areas. In addition, the Workgroup was to examine the linkage between ADAMHA's research and data collection efforts and those of other State and Federal agencies to assure greater cooperation and data comparability. This report presents the results of that review. It focuses on the three major areas most germane to the Workgroup's charge--epidemiology, health systems research and health statistics--describing these activities in terms of current organizational foci and levels of funding; reviewing the major problems and issues seen from the ADAMHA perspective; and presenting a set of recommendations designed to address them. B. Major Findings and Issues Our review of ADAMHA's epidemiology research, health systems research, and health statistics activities revealed a solid programmatic core in all three areas which can serve as an invaluable foundation for future growth (see Figure 1). However, despite the policy and scientific significance of these research areas, our inventory revealed that only three percent ($23 million) of the total ADAMHA expenditures was al- located for epidemiology, health systems research, and data systems for FY 1977.* Approximately 50 percent of this amount was allocated to investigator-initiated grants, with the remaining 50 percent for con- tracts and in-house data systems. Analyses by each Institute indicate that NIMH expends the greatest absolute amount (e.g., NIMH--$9.3 M; NIDA--$5.7 M; and NIAAA--$6.2 M), but the smallest percentage of its total budget on these areas of health care research (NIMH--2 percent; NIDA--3 percent; and NIAAA--4 percent). More detailed analyses of expenditures in the three health care research fields indicate consider- able differences in the attention accorded these areas by the three Institutes. As shown in Figure 2, current activities are organizationally highly diffuse. Developing a more thorough understanding of the ADM service system and its clientele will require expanded programs in all three areas, as well as greater attention to their overall organization and direction. Many problems and issues have impeded the development of a comprehensive knowledge base on the ADM service system. Perhaps the most global and characteristic issue is the lack of focused effort at ADAMHA to achieve * Inventory totals exclude staff costs, except for data systems.