Consumer participation in the planning and delivery of drug treatment services: the current arrangements.
OBJECTIVE
Consumer participation in decision-making about service planning is common in certain health services in Australia but is thought to be largely underdeveloped in drug treatment services. This paper (1) describes the current practices within Australian drug treatment services that aim to include consumers in service planning and provision; and (2) determines how much consumers know about the existing opportunities for involvement.


METHODS
Sixty-four randomly selected service providers (representing 64 separate services) completed interviews about the current arrangements for consumer participation within their services (response rate = 82%). A total of 179 consumers completed interviews assessing their knowledge of the consumer participation activities available at the service they attended.


RESULTS
Consumer participation activities were not uncommon in drug treatment services, although the existing activities were concerned largely with providing information to or receiving information from consumers. Activities that included consumers in higher forms of involvement, such as those in which consumers took part in decision-making, were largely uncommon. Consumers had a considerable lack of knowledge about the participation activities available to them, revealing a lack of communication between providers and consumers.


CONCLUSIONS
While service providers were making efforts to engage consumers in service planning and provision (despite the general lack of State or Commonwealth policy directives and extra funding to do so), these appear ineffectual because of poor communication between providers and consumers. As a starting point, a critical part of any meaningful consumer participation initiative must include systems to ensure that consumers know about available opportunities.
Bryant
Joanne
J
National Centre in HIV Social Research, University of New South Wales, Australia. j.bryant@unsw.edu.au
Saxton
Melissa
M
Madden
Annie
A
Bath
Nicky
N
Robinson
Suzanne
S
D001315:Australia; D003142:Communication; D003256:Community Participation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel; D006285:Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*