IBR -- Forms, TCU ADC Forms for automated data capture

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ADCforms.html

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Updated:
06-May-2008

TCU ADC Forms Overview
List of TCU ADC Forms Available
ADC System Purchase
Purchase of Forms
Scoring and User Manuals

Please note: The forms offered for downloading on this page are samples of the TCU ADC Forms that can be copied and used for direct administration with hand scoring (see Forms Permissions). The pre-printed forms for automated data capture (ADC) are available in low-cost bulk purchase options. Please see “Purchase of Forms” below for more details.

TCU ADC Forms Overview

Automated data capture techniques have growing importance for clinical applications of assessment tools that focus on client needs and functioning in relation to services. Without such information being available in a timely and user-friendly form, frontline clinicians are not optimally positioned to plan and deliver services that meet “evidence-based” criteria. Several optical reader or on-line internet applications for TCU assessment forms have been considered in recent years, but many require technical and financial resources beyond the practical reach of our treatment-provider collaborators. Security-related restrictions (such as using offender internet-based assessments in correctional settings) also present special challenges.

Practical requirements for ADC applications call for (1) flexible options in choosing a set of efficient and effective forms that meet practical needs, (2) affordable equipment for reading and scoring of data, (3) low cost and easy access to forms, and (4) on-site provision of rapid and user-friendly feedback for making time-sensitive clinical applications. Scantron© has a history of educational and related applications using a wide range of equipment and software supports which offer potential solutions. By adding customized Excel-based scoring and feedback templates, we have developed a feasible and low-cost “turn-key” system that meets these requirements.

Single-page client assessments appear to be optimal for these applications, so selected TCU Forms are being reformatted. These new “TCU ADC Forms” are described below, along with scoring and software user manuals. The forms offered as downloads on this page are samples. However, like our larger inventory of other TCU Forms available from our Web site, these can be downloaded and used without cost in non-profit applications for direct administration and hand scoring (see Permissions).

For automated data capture using the TCU ADC Forms, an ADC hardware/software system can be purchased from Scantron©, and low-cost bulk purchase options are available for administration copies of the forms. (Note: No financial interests or rewards accrue to TCU in relation to purchases of ADC systems from Scantron© or from sales of TCU ADC Forms.)

List of TCU ADC Forms Available

ADC form icon Several of our most popular TCU Forms have been adapted for use in single-page optical scanning applications. These have been “reconfigured” by reorganizing items into separate sub-domains. A few scales found in previous research to have marginal applications have been eliminated, and replacement items have been added to some forms (e.g., a social desirability response scale). The result is a more streamlined and focused series of one-page forms, enhanced with an automated scoring and feedback protocol for making normative clinical interpretations of results. Preliminary evidence on the psychometrics of these “modified” single-page assessment formats indicates they are psychometrically consistent with earlier “original” aggregated versions of the forms, but further research is still in progress. New TCU ADC Forms also are being developed in response to the needs of our field collaborators and on-going research. In most cases, these represent abbreviations or subsections being adapted from previously studied TCU assessments.

Optional Formats are available for these assessments, designed to serve users at different levels of optical scanning and automated scoring technology. The simplest alternative is to download PDF versions from the links below, print copies of single-page forms of interest on legal-size pages, and use them for direct administration and scoring by hand (as specified in the scoring guides). This also is a reasonable “first step” for new users who want to become better acquainted with applications and potential benefits of these assessments.

Client Needs and Progress

TCU ADC Drug Screen II (TCU ADC DSII) is self-administered and serves to quickly identify individuals with a history of heavy drug use or dependency (based on the DSM and the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule). It is particularly useful (and widely used) as a tool in criminal justice settings, for identifying offenders eligible for treatment as an alternative to regular incarceration. (5-10 minutes: for technical questions, contact Dr. Kevin Knight)
(PDF; 26KB / 1 page)
Scoring Guide for TCU DSII is available for explaining procedures for scoring items in each scale.
(PDF; 16KB / 1 pages)

Client Evaluation of Self and Treatment
is a “family” of 4 self-report assessments for monitoring client needs and progress. They include treatment motivation, psychosocial functioning, and clinical engagement scales designed to be administered throughout treatment to help inform planning of services and gauge client changes over time. (Also see TCU Manuals, especially for planning care and monitoring progress in relation to therapeutic interventions.) Time and Contact: Each form in this family takes 5-10 minutes to complete; for technical questions, contact Dr. Kevin Knight)

Treatment Needs and Motivation (TCU ADC MotForm) includes 36 items from 5 scales representing Problem Recognition, Desire for Help, Treatment Readiness, Treatment Needs Index, and Pressures for Treatment Index. It is used mainly for intake and early treatment phases.
(PDF; 23KB / 1 page)
Scoring Guide for TCU MotForm is available for explaining procedures for scoring items in each scale.
(PDF; 20KB / 2 pages)

Psychological Functioning (TCU ADC PsyForm) includes 33 items from 5 scales representing Depression, Anxiety, Self-Esteem, Decision Making, and Expectancy.
(PDF; 22KB / 1 page)
Scoring Guide for TCU PsyForm is available for explaining procedures for scoring items in each scale.
(PDF; 20KB / 2 pages)

Social Functioning (TCU ADC SocForm) includes 36 items from 4 scales representing Hostility, Risk-Taking, Social Support, and Social Desirability.
(PDF; 23KB / 1 page)
Scoring Guide for TCU SocForm is available for explaining procedures for scoring items in each scale.
(PDF; 20KB / 2 pages)

Treatment Engagement (TCU ADC EngForm) includes 36 items from 4 scales representing Treatment Participation, Treatment Satisfaction, Counseling Rapport, and Peer Support.
(PDF; 23KB / 1 page)
Scoring Guide for TCU EngForm is available for explaining procedures for scoring items in each scale.
(PDF; 17KB / 2 pages)

Criminal Thinking Scales (TCU ADC CTSForm) includes 36 items from 6 scales representing Entitlement, Justification, Power Orientation, Cold Heartedness, Criminal Rationalization, and Personal Irresponsibility.
(PDF; 23KB / 1 page)
Scoring Guide for TCU CTSForm is available for explaining procedures for scoring items in each scale.
(PDF; 18KB / 2 pages)

ADC System Purchase

ADC system purchase For an economical optical mark reader, the Scantron© Model ES2010ADF is recommended. It provides single-sided reading of pencil markings and includes a 150 sheet automatic document feeder, single output hopper (with transport speed of up to 2,000 forms per hour). Scanbook is the bundled utility software for creating Windows-based ASCII files in which the scanning results are recorded. The purchase price negotiated by the TCU team for this hardware-software package is $4200. (Note that TCU has no financial interests or benefits that result from the purchase of these machines.)

TCU ADC Forms scoring templates are available on request from TCU (at no charge to service providers) for converting the ASCII records into data files, calculating scale scores, and generating client-level assessment feedback reports (contact Julie Gray at j.gray2@tcu.edu for more information). Training workshops are expected to be available periodically, and establishment of mutual-help “user groups” is encouraged.

Purchase of TCU ADC Forms

Information for ordering pre-printed TCU ADC Forms in bulk is available. Costs average 10-15 cents per form, depending on quantity ordered. (Note: TCU has no financial interests or benefits that result from purchases of these forms.) Special formatting for automated data capture is incorporated into these pre-printed forms for scanning purposes. Each form has a template available at no cost from TCU (based on Microsoft Excel©) for scoring items and providing interpretative feedback in graphic and narrative formats. Scoring and clinical feedback protocols have been prepared by TCU researchers, in conjunction with several field collaborators, and are subject to on-going development and refinement.

PDF Sample of Clinical Feedback Report for TCU ADC Form “Treatment Engagement” (TCU EngForm)
(PDF; 20KB / 1 page)

Scoring and User Manuals for TCU ADC Forms

ADC data collection and scoring icon Data Collection and Scoring. Procedurally, each completed TCU ADC Form is fed through the optical reading process, and item scores are then stored in a data file according to form type and scale. This file in turn is accessed on command by the TCU (Excel-based) templates to score and simultaneously prepare a feedback report for clinical interpretations, as illustrated above (PDF Sample of Clinical Feedback Report). Depending on specifications of the local “management information system” regarding infrastructure and related applications, these records might be further enhanced by users and also be incorporated into “real-time” clinical management data systems.

Getting Started Guide
(in preparation). A manual is being prepared to help guide users through the sequential steps of scanning, scoring, and generating feedback reports on the TCU ADC Forms. Although the procedures are straightforward, they require a strict set of sequential computerized operations. Therefore, it is recommended that agencies that use automated data capture procedures have a “technical data collection and scoring specialist” trained to supervise ADC operations (e.g., scheduling of assessments for clients and the inventory of forms being used) as well as to maintain system security. It is important that results be properly and safely stored into data files in strict accordance with system specifications by the agency.