Papers by Tracy McPherson
Journal of Social Work Practice in The Addictions, Mar 29, 2019
Early alcohol and drug use is linked to a range of immediate and long-term consequences with yout... more Early alcohol and drug use is linked to a range of immediate and long-term consequences with youth. It is essential that social workers and nurses receive training to recognize and address substance use disorder among adolescents. This article examines the influence of a Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) simulation on students' attitude, confidence, competency, and readiness to implement the technique in the field with adolescents. A pretestposttest within-subject evaluation design was used to assess change in a series of learning outcomes. Data analyses show that students who completed the simulation reported significant improvement on competency, confidence and readiness related to the SBIRT after
Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 2017
Background: Addressing alcohol harm in prisons can potentially reduce the risk of re-offending, a... more Background: Addressing alcohol harm in prisons can potentially reduce the risk of re-offending, and costs to society, whilst tackling health inequalities. Health savings of £4.3 m and crime savings of £100 m per year can be a result of appropriate alcohol interventions. Prison therefore offers an opportunity for the identification, response and/or referral to treatment for those male remand prisoners who are consuming alcohol above recommended levels. There is however, limited evidence for the effectiveness, optimum timing of delivery, recommended length, content, implementation and economic benefit of Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABI) in the prison setting for male remand prisoners. As part of the PRISM-A study, we aimed to explore the 'elements' of an acceptable ABI for delivery, experiences of engagement with services/health professionals about alcohol use, alongside barriers and facilitators to implementation within the prison setting for male remand prisoners. Materials and methods: Twenty-four in-depth interviews were conducted with adult male remand prisoners at one Scottish prison (n = 12) and one English prison (n = 12). A focus group at each of the prison sites was held with key stakeholders (e.g. prison nurses, prison officers, voluntary alcohol/addiction services, health service managers and commissioners). Thematic analysis techniques utilizing NViVo 10 were employed. Results: A thematic content analysis of the interviews consistently highlighted that the majority of prisoners reflected about the connection between alcohol consumption and criminal offending, particularly in relation to offenses involving physical assaults. They also expressed motivation to change their alcohol consumption. Both prisoner interviews and focus groups with stakeholders (N = 2), indicated the value of continuous follow-up support outside of the prison system and also the need to address the lack of stable social environments, which is often associated with alcohol and drug consumption. Stakeholders further identified organizational barriers to the delivery of ABI, such as limited funding and manageable workloads. Conclusions: The importance of interpersonal trust indicated that intervention delivery by external organizations and nurses were favored in comparison to intervention delivery by prison staff and peer-prisoners. A2 Does perceived risk of harm mediate the effects of a primary care alcohol screening and brief advice intervention for adolescents?
The Annals of Family Medicine
This Research Note reviews the history of the field of EAP, the characteristics of the modern EAP... more This Research Note reviews the history of the field of EAP, the characteristics of the modern EAP, and the growth over the last 20 years in how many organizations have employee assistance services in the United States and Canada.
Background:The robust evidence base for the effectiveness of alcohol screening and brief interven... more Background:The robust evidence base for the effectiveness of alcohol screening and brief interventions (ASBIs) in primary health care (PHC) suggests that a widespread expansion of ASBI in non-medical settings could be beneficial. Social service and criminal justice settings work frequently with persons with alcohol use disorders, and workplace settings can be an appropriate setting for the implementation of alcohol prevention programs, as a considerable part of their social interactions takes place in this context. Methods: Update of two systematic reviews on ASBI effectiveness in workplaces, social service, and criminal justice settings. Review to identify implementation barriers and facilitators and future research needs of ASBI in non-medical settings. Results: We found a limited number of randomized controlled trials in non-medical settings with an equivocal evidence of effectiveness of ASBI. In terms of barriers and facilitators to implementation, the heterogeneity of non-medical settings makes it challenging to draw overarching conclusions. In the workplace, employee concerns with regard to the consequences of self-disclosure appear to be key. For social services, the complexity of certain client needs suggest that a stepped and carefully tailored approach is likely to be required. Discussion: Compared to PHC, the reviewed settings are far more heterogeneous in terms of client groups, external conditions, and the focus on substance use disorders.Thus, future research should try to systematize these differences, and consider their implications for the deliverability, acceptance, and potential effectiveness of ASBI for different target groups, organizational frameworks, and professionals.
This Research Note describes how to conceptualize the different ways that employee assistance ser... more This Research Note describes how to conceptualize the different ways that employee assistance services provide business value to an organization. The model features three major categories or levels of value: Workplace Performance Value - which has cost savings from employee productivity, absence and other human capital areas; Benefit Cost Value - which has cost savings from health care, disability and other employee benefits; and Organizational Value - which has cost savings from risk management and improved organizational development.
Services (HHS) on policy development issues, and is responsible for major activities in the areas... more Services (HHS) on policy development issues, and is responsible for major activities in the areas of legislative and budget development, strategic planning, policy research and evaluation, and economic analysis. ASPE develops or reviews issues from the viewpoint of the Secretary, providing a perspective that is broader in scope than the specific focus of the various operating agencies. ASPE also works closely with the HHS operating agencies. It assists these agencies in developing policies, and planning policy research, evaluation and data collection within broad HHS and administration initiatives. ASPE often serves a coordinating role for crosscutting policy and administrative activities. ASPE plans and conducts evaluations and research-both in-house and through support of projects by external researchers-of current and proposed programs and topics of particular interest to the Secretary, the Administration and the Congress. Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy The Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy (DALTCP), within ASPE, is responsible for the development, coordination, analysis, research and evaluation of HHS policies and programs which support the independence, health and long-term care of persons with disabilities-children, working aging adults, and older persons. DALTCP is also responsible for policy coordination and research to promote the economic and social well-being of the elderly. In particular, DALTCP addresses policies concerning: nursing home and communitybased services, informal caregiving, the integration of acute and long-term care, Medicare post-acute services and home care, managed care for people with disabilities, long-term rehabilitation services, children's disability, and linkages between employment and health policies. These activities are carried out through policy planning, policy and program analysis, regulatory reviews, formulation of legislative proposals, policy research, evaluation and data planning.
This Research Note reviews issues with how to assess the level of quality of employee assistance ... more This Research Note reviews issues with how to assess the level of quality of employee assistance program services. It is recommended that the program's use of the Core Technology of the industry, designations of professionalism from individual certification and program accreditation and how network affiliates are used should be considered as indicators of quality. What Are EAPs? Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are employer-sponsored programs designed to alleviate and assist in eliminating a variety of workplace problems. EAPs typically provide screening, assessments, brief interventions, referrals to other services and case management with longitudinal follow-up for mental health concerns and substance abuse problems. The source of these employee problems can be either personal or work-related. Those who work for EAPs come from many different professions including social workers, psychologists, counselors, substance abuse specialists, occupational nurses, and others. In Cana...
Alcohol abuse and dependence is recognized as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortalit... more Alcohol abuse and dependence is recognized as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Alcohol is the most widely used substance among working adults, and almost 80% of risky drinkers are employed. Health care costs associated with alcohol problems exceed major chronic diseases. Employers bear economic and other burdens from untreated alcohol problems: productivity
This Research Note reviews the issues concerning how the pricing is determined for the purchase o... more This Research Note reviews the issues concerning how the pricing is determined for the purchase of employee assistance program services. What Are EAPs? Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are employer-sponsored programs designed to alleviate and assist in eliminating a variety of workplace problems. EAPs typically provide screening, assessments, brief interventions, referrals to other services and case management with longitudinal follow- up for mental health concerns and substance abuse problems. The source of these employee problems can be either personal or work-related. Those who work for EAPs come from many different professions including social workers, psychologists, counselors, substance abuse specialists, occupational nurses, and others. In Canada, the services are called Employee and Family Assistance Programs (EFAPs).
Easna Research Notes, 2010
This Research Note describes how to effectively implement employee assistance program services in... more This Research Note describes how to effectively implement employee assistance program services in an organization. What Are EAPs? Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are employer-sponsored programs designed to alleviate and assist in eliminating a variety of workplace problems. EAPs typically provide screening, assessments, brief interventions, referrals to other services and case management with longitudinal follow-up for mental health concerns and substance abuse problems. The source of these employee problems can be either personal or work-related. Those who work for EAPs come from many different professions including social workers, psychologists, counselors, substance abuse specialists, occupational nurses, and others. In Canada, the services are called Employee and Family Assistance Programs (EFAPs).
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Papers by Tracy McPherson