Measuring unmet demand for alcohol and other treatment: the application of an Australian population-based planning model
Abstract
This presentation will report on an Australian demand-projection model to estimate the extent of unmet treatment demand by drug type. The model incorporated the prevalence of substance use disorders (by drug type and age), application of a severity distribution to three disability categories - mild, moderate and severe - and the application of treatment rates derived from expert judgements reflecting the proportion of people within disability categories who would be suitable for, likely to seek, and benefit from treatment. Sensitivity analyses incorporating variations to the severity distributions and treatment rates were applied, along with adjustment for poly-drug use. The resulting data highlight that insufficient alcohol and drug treatment is available to meet demand in Australia, despite Australia’s relatively high met demand when compared with other countries.