CRISM-AHS Advancement of Analytics in Substance Use Program

CRISM and Alberta Health Services: Advancement of analytics in substance use

The Alberta Addiction and Mental Health Research Hub and the Addictions & Mental Health Strategic Clinical Network of Alberta Health Services have partnered with CRISM | Prairies. This partnership will address research, evaluation, quality improvement, and measurement questions related to substance use. This analytic and research collaboration is opening up administrative data on substance use and is creating a line of sight between applied knowledge generation and research activity. The long-term goals of this partnership are to support researcher access to addiction and mental health client data from acute and specialty health care services and programs, and to promote innovation in analytics.

Rationale

• Alberta Health Services (Alberta Addiction and Mental Health Research Hub and the Addiction and Mental Health Strategic Clinical Network) and the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM) have partnered to promote innovation in analytics related to substance use and health care utilization.
• The long-term goal of this partnership is to support access to substance use and mental health (AMH) client data from relevant health care services and programs in Alberta Health Services (AHS) for researchers and to promote innovative analytic projects.

Purpose

• The overarching purpose is to identify and address mutually agreed upon and mutually beneficial research, evaluation, quality improvement and measurement questions.
• CRISM | Prairies has funded a full time analyst to work in the AHS Knowledge, Performance and Integrated Planning program. Projects will be categorized as follows:
  • Analysis of fully formed research or QI question
  • Consultation around development of question

Key Eligibility Points

• No primary data collection
• Makes use of data already held in AHS or AH databases
• Proposal must align with CRISM objectives or AHS priorities or BOTH
• Preference will be given to projects in the following order:
  • Aligns with both CRISM objectives and AHS priorities
  • Aligns with CRISM or AHS with some overlap with the other agency
  • Aligns only with CRISM or AHS with no overlap

Projects supported include analyses around:

• Amphetamines
  • Report: Clients Enrolled in Specialty Addiction Treatment for Amphetamine Use, 2012-2018 
  • Infographic
• Cannabis
  • Report: Cannabis Use and Concerns among Clients Seeking Addiction Treatment (2012-2018)
  • Infographic
  • Publications
    • Williamson N, Hathaway J, Jahrig J, Vik S, Rittenbach K. (2022). Cannabis use and concern among clients seeking substance misuse treatment: demographics, comorbidities, and service utilization patterns pre-legalization (2012-2018). Canadian Journal of Addiction 13(1): 19-26, doi: 10.1097/CXA.0000000000000136.
  • Report: Post Legalization Follow Up to Cannabis in Alberta (2019-2021)

Application Process

CRISM-AHS program FAQ

Access the application form here: CRISM-AHS Project Application Form

Please submit completed application submitted to  amh.researchhub@ahs.ca

Our 2020 program report may be accessed here.

For more information contact Denise Adams at denise.adams@ualberta.ca