EuropASI: A standard in de Sleutel, Belgium

Aims. The introduction of the EuropASI (European version of the Addiction Severity Index) as a standard intake instrument was inspired by four different viewpoints—clinical, registration, research and management—and aimed at implementation in these four areas.Setting. De Sleutel includes five ambulatory centres and four residential centres in different parts of Flanders in Belgium. In 1998, the EuropASI interview was introduced in de Sleutel as a diagnostic standard admission for residential as well as ambulatory drug‐treatment settings. Today there is a database of about 2500 EuropASIs of unique clients.Findings and conclusion. Clinically, the introduction of the EuropASI gave a basic guideline for clinical workers to act, measure and orient the client after his first treatment demand. It provided a uniform procedure that guarantees a well‐balanced focus for all life areas traditionally linked with addiction problems. It also became a useful instrument for structuring the clinical team meetings and led t...