Shazam! A modern-day wizard stands ready to help anyone who needs information on instruments to measure substance abuse and related factors. The Instrument Wizard (IW), developed by ISA Associates, Inc., with NIDA funding, is a Web-based resource that helps users identify screening, diagnostic, and evaluation instruments for use in clinical settings and in every stage of drug abuse research--from planning to program evaluation.
The IW collects more than 200 instruments that have been empirically tested for reliability and validity, with particular attention to psychometrics, the measurement of psychological variables. IW users can search a wide array of elements, including target audience, specific substance of abuse, instrument's purpose, and other topics, such as risk factors. Those who want a specific tool can search by the instrument's title or author.
Potential IW users--drug abuse prevention and treatment professionals, behavioral health care providers, researchers, evaluators, educators, and criminal justice personnel--can take a "virtual tour" of the IW at www.instrumentwizard.com (discontinued in 2018). The tour allows visitors to view a multimedia demonstration of the IW's functions and capabilities. Visitors can see how to search by title, author, or instrument characteristics and what the results of a search would look like. After a trial run, interested users can subscribe online for an individual or organizational membership by month or year; fees are based on membership type. Members incur no additional cost for instruments in the public domain. Some private instruments also are free; for all others, the IW provides cost information or contact information for costs.
"We want drug abuse professionals to think of and use the IW as a 'one-stop shopping' destination," says Dr. Royer Cook of ISA, the project's principal investigator. "The IW is unique in providing users access to high-quality research and clinical tools in a site where they can review properties of all instruments, print out the materials, and receive copyright information, if needed."
For More Information
To learn more about the Instrument Wizard, e-mail Dr. Tracy McPherson, of ISA, at instrumentwizard@isagroup.com or call 703-739-0880. For details on the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants program, which funded development of the IW, visit NIDA's Web site at www.drugabuse.gov/Funding or the Small Business Administration site at www.sba.gov.