Evaluation of the Involuntary Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program

The Involuntary Drug and Alcohol Treatment (IDAT) Program, established under the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Act 2007 of New South Wales, aimed to “provide short-term care, with an involuntary supervised withdrawal component, to protect the health and safety of people with severe substance dependence who have experienced, or are at risk of, serious harm and whose decision-making capacity is considered to be compromised due to their substance use”.

This project aimed to evaluate the process, outcome and costs of the IDAT Program.

The process evaluation aimed to provide descriptive information about the program operations, its reach, patient progression through the defined model of care, and the feasibility and appropriateness of the model of care. The outcome evaluation aimed to assess the impact of the IDAT program on a range of patient outcomes including drug and alcohol use and health service utilisation, in comparison with a comparison group. The cost evaluation determined the costs of the IDAT program.