Translating addictions research into evidence-based practice: the Polaris CD outcomes management system.

Converting the findings from addictions studies into information actionable by (non-research) treatment programs is important to improving program outcomes. This paper describes the translation of the findings of studies on Patient-Services matching, prediction of patient response to treatment (Expected Treatment Response) and prediction of dropout to provide evidence-based decision support in routine treatment. The findings of the studies and their application to the development of an outcomes management system are described. Implementation issues in a network of addictions treatment programs are discussed. The work illustrates how outcomes management systems can play an important role in translating research into practice.