Usability of substance abuse client segmentation in service planning and its effects on client well-being and substance abuse

The heterogeneous nature of clients with substance use problems poses challenges in the organisation of services and also to the success of treatment. The service plan provides a setting for client’s path to services and is therefore significant from the perspective of treatment outcome.  

The project will scrutinise client segmentation - that is, grouping clients according to their individual service needs and on the basis of characteristics with bearing on treatment - and the usability and effectiveness of these actions. The object of interest is the well-being effects of the segmentation of clients with substance use problems and the experiences of clients as regards segmentation. The study also scrutinises professionals’ views of the suitability of the digital Suuntima tool in designing the treatment paths of substance abuse treatment clients.

We are concerned with the arm of the study regarding service chains in substance abuse treatment, which is part of the more extensive project Vaikuttava sosiaali- ja terveysalan TKI-ympäristö, KEHYS – Kehitämme yhdessä, a development project, the main implementing body being Pirkanmaa Hospital District and its Primary Health Care Unit.

This study is funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (605/2020).