The Impact of Respondent Type on Treatment Facility Performance Evaluations - Do Alumni and their Friends and Family Prioritize different Offerings?

Abstract

Objective: The primary objective of this investigation is to determine if alumni prioritize aspects of addiction treatment in facility performance reviews differently than loved ones (i.e. friends and/or family) of treatment alumni.Design: Alumni of addiction treatment facilities and friends and/or family members of alumni were queried through an online survey, which contained open-ended questions asking the respondents to identify their respective facility's strengths and weaknesses. Text analysis using correspondence analysis and quantitative modeling, using multinomial logistic regression and adjusted probabilities estimation, were used to identify whether distinct response patterns exist for each respondent type. Results:The outputs from multiple models suggest that there exist distinct response patterns between alumni and friends and/or family of alumni. Specifically, the results suggest that alumni are more likely to prioritize internal aspects of treatment (e.g. counseling offerings, peers, staff), while friends and/or family members will prioritize external aspects of treatment (e.g. administrative policies, family involvement, prices). Both respondent types also prioritize certain aspects (e.g. amenities and offerings) to similar degrees. Conclusions:These results suggest the importance of facilities offering well-rounded treatment offerings that address the concerns of all those involved in the treatment process. Doing such can increase treatment buy-in and satisfaction with services received, which can positively impact treatment outcomes. Recommendations for future research are also suggested.