About the group
Evaluation research at SERAF primarily focuses on the evaluation of new (or established) interventions and treatments in the field of drug and addiction in Norway. The group also provides rapid evidence summary reports of existing literature on a variety of topics.
Our research is focused on general health services research, emphasizing newly introduced interventions, policies, or treatment practices, as well as their implementation within the existing healthcare system.
The introduction of a new policy or intervention presents a valuable opportunity to learn from the implementation process and to assess whether the outcomes align with the intended goals. SERAF encourages policymakers to make use of the opportunity to learn from any new introduction of policy or practice in the drug and addiction field. Evaluation research is necessary for improvement and should be included in the development of health services in the future. This ensures that all interventions have opportunities for implementation, process, outcome, and impact evaluation.
The evaluation research group at SERAF is a multidisciplinary team of researchers and PhD students established to evaluate projects and programs relating to various aspects of drug and addiction research.
The group uses different methodologies relevant to the different projects. Even within projects, a mixed-methods approach is often utilized, including qualitative, quantitative, and registry data sources.
Additionally, many data collection processes are streamlined to exclusively use electronic data collection to allow for rapid assessments. Skills and experience in:
- Questionnaire development
- Registry data linkage
- Intervention implementation
- E-learning (development, implementation, adoption, and effect)
- Evidence summaries
- Curriculum development for staff training
Projects
In addition to publishing in peer-reviewed academic journals, the group contributes to the annual OMT status report, a report commissioned by the Norwegian Directorate of Health. The report includes survey results from OMT patients receiving treatment and mortality data.
The evaluation research group also produces commissioned evidence summary reports, which evaluate up-to-date existing literature to inform specific policies.
Select publications
SERAF-rapport nr. 3 Rusmiddeltesting (PDF in Norwegian)
SERAF-rapport nr. 1 Forslag til plan rusmiddeltesting (PDF in Norwegian)
Piloting heroin assisted treatment in Norway (PDF)
Cooperation
The group collaborates with national and international projects across multiple disciplines.
Findings from the group's research have a practical orientation, aiming to directly inform relevant local and national decision-making processes through empirical feedback.