What
is the Decision Support System for Substance Abuse Prevention (DSS)?
The
Decision Support System for Substance Abuse Prevention (DSS), http://www.preventiondss.org/,
is a new highly interactive technology transfer program. The Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) began developing it
in 1999, to assist prevention practitioners and service providers
in selecting prevention models for their communities. The DSS is
accessible through the World Wide Web. By going to this site, practitioners
can have rapid access to important information about prevention
methods and content areas that will assist them in selecting and
implementing prevention programs that are adapted to the local needs
and contexts of their community.
This
new, on-line resource will be developed over several years by a
group consisting of SAMHSA/CSAP-funded contractors and staff and
experts in prevention and computer information technology. The Centers
for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPTs) will be involved
in gathering input from prevention practitioners and service providers,
as well as in testing the DSS models.
The
DSS is intended to provide support to state and local systems in
the following areas:
- Assessing
local needs and target groups
- Developing
prevention capacity and resources
- Supporting
and reporting state prevention system management information systems
- Choosing
science-based prevention and intervention programs that show evidence
of effectiveness
- Seeing
the program’s resource requirements, implementation manuals,
and evaluation measures
- Adapting
and enhancing the selected programs to local contexts and cultures
- Training
in the uses of the DSS and the implementation of best practice
prevention programs
- Coding
and analyzing project level data
- Writing
useful reports about the program activities and results
- Learning
scientific prevention methods and best practices on line.
Other
Related Documents and Websites
Additional
information about the DSS is available on the web at http://www.preventiondss.org.
Please
contact the Northeast CAPT at capt@edc.org
for more information.
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