Alcohol & other drug treatment services

Clients receiving treatment for their own drug use identify the main drug that led them to commence treatment and can identify up to 5 additional drugs of concern: these drugs may not have been the part of any treatment within the treatment episode in the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set (AODTS NMDS).

Clients receive one main type of treatment as part of the episode. They may also receive other complimentary treatment types, called additional treatment types. Up to 4 additional treatment types can be recorded in the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set (AODTS NMDS).

A service that provides specialist alcohol and other drug treatment services and receives government funding. This includes government and non government services, such as residential and non residential treatment providers. Hospitals (non-admitted outpatients) as well as mental health or First Nations services are also included if they provide specialist alcohol and other drug treatment.

A category under main or other treatment type. It is a treatment provided to a client that aims to assess and identify a clients’ needs and goals, develops treatment plans, and matches clients to appropriate services.

A medicine used to help treat opioid dependence. It works in a similar way to methadone but lasts longer. It is available as buprenorphine (Subutex®), which may be taken daily or every 2 or 3 days as a tablet; buprenorphine–naloxone (Suboxone®), taken as a tablet or film that dissolves under the tongue; and a long acting buprenorphine injection (LAI), given under the skin weekly or monthly.

A person aged 10 years or older who is assessed or accepted for treatment by an in-scope agency, either for their own alcohol or other drug use or for someone else’s.

A person who is receiving opioid pharmacotherapy (medicated treatment) for opioid dependence on a snapshot day and is included in the National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistic Annual Data (NOPSAD) collection.

Describes whether a client is receiving treatment for:

• their own alcohol or other drug use
• for someone else’s alcohol or other drug use.

Prescribers who work in prisons or other correctional services prescribing opioid dependence treatment medications.

A category under Main or Other treatment type, that involves talking with a trained worker to support change, such as through behaviour based or motivational approaches, aimed at helping the person develop skills to reduce alcohol or drug use (AOD) and/or harms, in line with the person’s own goals (psycho-social counselling). Counselling can be delivered individually (one on one) or in groups and may involve family members or be delivered to family members alone.

A person who received alcohol or other drug treatment after being referred by police or a court into a diversion program. There are 2 types of clients:

• diversion only clients (see diversion only clients).
• diversion clients with non-diversion referral episodes (see diversion clients with non-diversion episodes).

Received alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment from a combination of diversion program and another referral pathway.

Received alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment only through diversion programs.

The place where a client is given a pharmacotherapy treatment drug (for example, a clinic, pharmacy, hospital, correctional facility, community health centre, or doctor’s surgery).

A category from reason for cessation, where an AOD treatment episode ended when the client stopped participating against advice without notice.

See expected/planned completion.

A category from reason for cessation, where an AOD treatment episode ended or the program was completed as expected, including an end to treatment at expiation (program end) or by mutual agreement.

An Australian, state or territory government agency that operates from public accounts, is part of the general government sector, and is funded mainly by taxation.

A category under Main or Other treatment type, that can be provided to clients as written information or a psycho-educational intervention program.

The main activity that the treatment provider determines at assessment as necessary to complete the client’s treatment plan for alcohol or other drug use relating to their principal drug of concern. One main treatment type is reported for each treatment episode. Treatment types include different kinds of support or activities used to help people with their alcohol or other drug use, such as:

• Assessment only: (see assessment only)
• Counselling: (see counselling)
• Information and education: (see information and education)
• Pharmacotherapy: (see pharmacotherapy).
• Support and case management: (see support and case management)
• Rehabilitation: (see rehabilitation)
• Withdrawal management (detoxification): (see withdrawal management).

A synthetic opioid used to treat opioid dependence. It reduces withdrawal symptoms and cravings and blocks euphoric effects. It is usually taken orally daily.

A maintenance treatment program for opioid dependence usually conducted in an outpatient setting. These programs use a long-acting synthetic opiate medication, usually methadone (see methadone) or levo-alpha acetyl methadol, administered orally for a sustained period at a dosage sufficient to prevent opiate withdrawal, block the effects of opiate use and decrease opiate craving.

The client’s usual method of using their principal drug of concern (for example, ingests, smokes, injects, sniffs, inhales).

A client who receives an alcohol or other drug (AOD) treatment from a publicly funded AOD service for the first time since 2013–14, in the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Service National Minimum Data Set (AODTS NMDS).

Can be a non-profit, independent entity that operates separate from government. In the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Service National Minimum Data Set (AODTS NMDS), it is an agency that is private (non-government) and not controlled by the government but receives some government funding. Officers or an executive committee instead directs it. A non-government agency may be an income tax-exempt charity. In practice, ‘private’ agencies (agencies that do not receive any government funding) are excluded from the AODTS NMDS.

Use of a substance outside a medically supervised maintenance pharmacotherapy program (including methadone).

See opioid pharmacotherapy treatment.

A common treatment for people experiencing opioid dependence by using prescribed medicines to replace the opioid drug of dependence (for example, codeine or heroin) with a safer, longer–lasting, medically–prescribed opioid. These medicines help reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Examples include methadone, buprenorphine, and buprenorphine with naloxone.

A category from reason for cessation, where an alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment episode ended for other reasons (for example, return to court/jail, imprisoned, died).

A category under Main or Other treatment type, which is a medical maintenance therapy (for example, prescribing methadone or buprenorphine) to help treat and manage alcohol and other drug (AOD) dependence or prevent relapse. This category only includes clients who are on an opioid pharmacotherapy maintenance program and are receiving another form of AOD treatment in the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Service National Minimum Data Set (AODTS NMDS).

A health professional who is authorised to prescribe opioid pharmacotherapy medicines and who held this authority at the time of the National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data (NOPSAD) collection snapshot day. Prescribers may include general practitioners, nurse practitioners, and medical specialists. Some jurisdictions also allow authorised prescribers who have not completed specific pharmacotherapy training to prescribe these medicines.

The sector (public or private) in which prescriber in the National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data (NOPSAD) is practising when prescribing pharmacotherapy drugs.

The main substance that the client has stated led them to commence treatment from an alcohol and drug treatment agency.

Prescribers who work in organisations that are not controlled by government, such as private general practice clinics.

Prescribers who work in organisations that are part of government or are government controlled, such as public drug and alcohol clinics and public hospitals.

The reason a client's alcohol or other drug treatment ended.
Common reasons include:

• Expected/planned completion. (See expected/planned completion)
• Ended due to unplanned completion. (See ended due to unplanned completion).
• Referred to another service/change in treatment. (See referred to another service/change in treatment).
• Other reasons for ending treatment. (See other reasons for ending treatment).

Where the client was referred or transferred from.

A category from reason for cessation, where an AOD treatment episode ended due to a change in treatment type, setting, the client’s drug of concern, or the client was transferred to another provider.

A category under Main or Other treatment type, which focuses on supporting clients in stopping or reducing their alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and helping to prevent psychological, legal, financial, social and physical consequences of drug use. Rehabilitation can be delivered in a number of ways, including residential treatment services, therapeutic communities and community-based rehabilitation services.

A client who received publicly funded alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment in a financial year and at least 1 previous year since 2013–14 in the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Service National Minimum Data Set (AODTS NMDS).

These are prescription-only medicine, where the use or supply should be on the order of an authorised prescriber, and dispensed by a pharmacist on prescription.

These are controlled drugs, where the availability of the substance for use requires restriction of manufacture, supply, distribution, possession and use; to reduce use and physical or psychological dependence, and associated harms (for example, methadone, buprenorphine).

A day (usually in June) clients are counted for the National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data (NOPSAD) collection to estimate client numbers at a point in time. Varies by state/territory.

A category under Main or Other treatment type, which may involve providing emotional support or take on a more holistic approach, by taking into account all the client needs such as general welfare needs, and it includes assessment, care co-ordination, linking, monitoring and advocacy.

Client moved to another alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment service provider because a different service/setting (residential or non-residential or hospital) was more appropriate (excludes when original treatment was completed).

The main physical place where a client receives their alcohol or other drug treatment (such as residential, non-residential, home, outreach setting). This may be different from the usual location of the service providing the treatment.

The period of contact between a client and a treatment provider or a team of providers (with a start and end date). All information included in the AODTS NMDS regarding clients and treatment services are based on a closed treatment episode (there is an end date which falls within the reporting period). Each treatment episode has 1 principal drug of concern and 1 main treatment type. If the principal drug or main treatment changes, then a new episode is recorded.

A category under Main or Other treatment type that includes medicated and non-medicated treatment to help a person to manage or safely reduce or stop using alcohol or other drugs (AOD).