Project ALERT + Getting To Outcomes for Substance Abuse
(GTO-ALERT Trial)
Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
Overseen ByMatthew Chinman, PhD
Age: Any Age
Sex: Any
Travel: May Be Covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Academic
Recruiting
Sponsor: RAND
Disqualifiers: Not meeting eligibility criteria
No Placebo Group
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?To test the efficacy of Project ALERT with the support enhancement tool, Getting To Outcomes.
Will I have to stop taking my current medications?
The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.
What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Getting to Outcomes (GTO) and Project ALERT for substance abuse?
The research on outcome monitoring systems, like the California Treatment Outcome Project (CalTOP), shows that tracking client progress and needs can improve treatment effectiveness and client satisfaction. This suggests that using structured assessments and follow-ups, as in GTO and Project ALERT, may enhance substance abuse treatment outcomes by ensuring services are better matched to client needs.
12345How is the Project ALERT treatment for substance abuse different from other treatments?
Project ALERT is a school-based prevention program that focuses on educating adolescents about resisting social influences to use drugs, which is different from treatments that focus on medical or therapeutic interventions. It includes a curriculum with booster lessons to reinforce learning, but studies have shown mixed results regarding its effectiveness in reducing substance use.
678910Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for 7th-grade students, mostly aged 12-14, who are attending one of the schools participating in the study. School staff at these schools interested in joining the study can also participate.Inclusion Criteria
Eligibility for school staff participants: all educators interested in enrolling in the study at each of the enrolled schools
I am a 7th grader, aged 12-14, at a participating school.
Exclusion Criteria
Not meeting eligibility criteria
Trial Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
2-4 weeks
Treatment
Schools are randomized to receive Project ALERT or Project ALERT plus GTO for 3 years
3 years
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for changes in substance use risk factors and behaviors
1 year
Participant Groups
The trial is evaluating Project ALERT, a substance abuse prevention program, with an added tool called Getting To Outcomes to enhance its effectiveness in middle schools.
3Treatment groups
Active Control
Group I: Project ALERT onlyActive Control1 Intervention
Some schools will be randomized to receive Project ALERT only for 3 years starting fall 2022.
Group II: Project ALERT plus GTOActive Control2 Interventions
Some schools will be randomized to receive Project ALERT plus Getting to Outcomes for 3 years starting fall 2022.
Group III: Status quoActive Control1 Intervention
Some schools not receive either Project ALERT or Project ALERT plus GTO until year 3 of the study.
Find a Clinic Near You
Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles, CA
Loading ...
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
RANDLead Sponsor
University of Southern CaliforniaCollaborator
References
Integrating outcomes assessment and research into clinical care in inpatient adult psychiatric treatment. [2015]The authors describe an evolving outcomes project implemented across the adult inpatient programs at The Menninger Clinic. In the inpatient phase of the project, patients complete a computerized battery of standardized scales at admission, at biweekly intervals throughout treatment, and at discharge. In addition to providing aggregate data for outcomes research, these assessments are incorporated into routine clinical care, with results of each individual assessment provided to the treatment team and to the patient. The inpatient phase of the project employs Web-based software in preparation for a forthcoming follow-up phase in which patients will continue after discharge to complete assessments on the same computer platform. This article begins with a brief overview of related research at the Clinic to place the current project in local historical context. Then the authors describe the assessment instruments, the ways in which the assessments are integrated into clinical care, plans for follow-up assessments, the central role of information technology in the development and implementation of the project, the primary research questions, and some of the major challenges in implementing the project. The article concludes with a discussion of the ways in which the project can serve as a platform for a broad future research agenda.
A simplified method for routine outcome monitoring after drug abuse treatment. [2021]THE ROUTINE COLLECTION OF DRUG TREATMENT OUTCOMES TO MANAGE QUALITY OF CARE, IMPROVE PATIENT SATISFACTION, AND ALLOCATE TREATMENT RESOURCES IS CURRENTLY HAMPERED BY TWO KEY DIFFICULTIES: (1) problems locating clients once they leave treatment; and (2) the prohibitive cost of obtaining meaningful and reliable post-treatment data. This pilot describes precise methods for an economical staff-based routine outcome monitoring (ROM) system using an 18-item core measure telephone survey. As implemented at Narconon™ of Oklahoma, a behavioral and social skills based, residential drug rehabilitation program, the system was psychometrically adequate for aggregate reporting while providing clinically useful information. Standardized procedures for staff training, collecting client contact information, structuring exit interviews and maintaining post-treatment telephone contact produced follow-up rates that improved from 57.6% to 100% over the course of the project. Aggregate data was used to improve program delivery and thereby post-treatment substance use and social outcomes. These methods and use of data may contribute to the discussion on how to best monitor outcomes.
Pilot-testing a statewide outcome monitoring system: overview of the California Treatment Outcome Project (CALTOP). [2019]Timely information provided by an effective outcome monitoring system (OMS) is key to making improvements in treatment program effectiveness, service provision, and client outcomes. The California Treatment Outcome Project (CalTOP) developed and pilot-tested an automated outcome monitoring system for California's alcohol and other drug (AOD) system of care. CalTOP was designed to track client movement through treatment programs, measure standardized assessment of client service needs, record service utilization, assess treatment outcomes and client satisfaction, and determine the extent to which treatment produces cost-offsets in other health and social service systems. Information collected by CalTOP revealed that client problem severity at admission was high, services needed were diverse, and treatment services were generally not well matched to the level of problem severity or needs of clients. Also, client retention and length of stay in treatment were generally insufficient to maximize the potential benefits associated with treatment. This article presents the type of information on client demographics and treatment retention that was provided by CalTOP and outlines recommendations for implementing an AOD outcome monitoring system statewide.
Managing the outcome of infection: nosocomial infection initiative. [2019]Outcomes management provides a mechanism to foster development of patient-driven services through revision of practice and measurement of outcomes. This article shares an outcome initiative that focused on reducing the incidence of nosocomial pneumonia in a hospital setting. Strategies used such as a case-control study, risk tool development and protocol implementation are discussed. Both process and outcome data are provided to demonstrate the positive impact of the initiative.
Good functional outcome but not regained health related quality of life in the majority of 20-69 years old patients with femoral neck fracture treated with internal fixation: A prospective 2-year follow-up study of 182 patients. [2018]Prospective studies on patient related outcome in patients
Cost-Effectiveness of School-Based Prevention of Cannabis Use. [2015]Cannabis is the most frequently used illicit drug globally. Despite increasing evidence that cannabis use is associated with adverse health effects, the knowledge on preventative strategies is still limited. This study stemmed from a systematic review of effective prevention in which school-based programmes were identified as promising. The primary objective was to evaluate the cost effectiveness of Project ALERT (Adolescent, Learning, Experiences, Resistance, and Training), compared with ordinary ATOD (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug) education, among Swedish students in the eighth grade of compulsory school.
The Making of Evidence-based Practice: The Case of Project ALERT. [2021]Evidence-based practice has been enthusiastically embraced within the field of drug prevention during the past decade. Project ALERT, a school-based universal prevention program, is among the most widely advocated evidence-based interventions. We examined the results of three large-scale evaluations of Project ALERT, and concluded that assessment of data from the total samples shows that the program has little effect on drug use. Despite this, Project ALERT is included on evidence-based drug prevention lists because the criteria for inclusion are extremely weak. We discuss the implications of this for drug prevention evaluation research and the creation of evidence-based practice lists.
Results of an independent evaluation of Project ALERT delivered in schools by Cooperative Extension. [2019]Reported are results of an independent effectiveness study of the Project ALERT drug prevention program implemented in eight Pennsylvania middle schools by outside program leaders employed by Cooperative Extension. In this randomized, 2-cohort longitudinal evaluation, 1,649 seventh-grade students completed a pretest and four waves of posttests over the 2-year program and 1-year follow-up. Project ALERT's effectiveness was tested through a 3-level hierarchical linear model. Analyses failed to yield any positive effects for substance use or mediators for use in the adult or teen-assisted delivery of the curriculum. An extensive set of additional analyses detected no differential program effects by student risk level, gender, school, or level of implementation quality. Potential explanations for outcomes relative to Project ALERT's original effectiveness trial are discussed, as well as implications for future research, including the need to conduct independent effectiveness studies of previously validated programs in a variety of contexts.
Project ALERT: a cluster randomized trial. [2019]To evaluate the effects of Project ALERT on adolescents' lifetime and 30-day use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and inhalants.
School-based drug prevention among at-risk adolescents: effects of ALERT plus. [2017]In a recent randomized field trial, Ellickson et al. found the Project ALERT drug prevention curriculum curbed alcohol misuse and tobacco and marijuana use among eighth-grade adolescents. This article reports effects among ninth-grade at-risk adolescents. Comparisons between at-risk girls in ALERT Plus schools (basic curriculum extended to ninth grade with five booster lessons) and at-risk girls in control schools showed the program curbed weekly alcohol and marijuana use, at-risk drinking, alcohol use resulting in negative consequences, and attitudinal and perceptual factors conducive to drug use. Program-induced changes in perceived social influences, one's ability to resist those influences, and beliefs about the consequences of drug use mediated the ALERT Plus effects on drug use. No significant effects emerged for at-risk boys or at-risk adolescents in schools where the basic ALERT curriculum (covering seventh and eighth grades only) was delivered. Possible reasons for gender differences and implications for prevention programming are discussed.