Cent Eur J Public Health 2012, 20(4):294-296 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3715

Organizational Environment of Outpatient Drug Treatment Services in Hungary: a Pilot Study

Gábor Gazdag^1,2, Gabor S. Ungvari³, Rozália Takács⁴, József Rácz^5,6

¹ Consultation-Liaison Psychiatric Service, Szent István and Szent László Hospitals, Budapest, Hungary

² Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

³ University of Notre Dame Australia, Marian Centre, Perth, Australia

⁴ 1st Department of Psychiatry, Nyiro Gyula Hospital, Budapest, Hungary

⁵ Institute for Psychology, Eotvos University, Budapest, Hungary

⁶ Blue Point Foundation, Budapest, Hungary

Objectives: Organizations engaged in drug addiction treatment started their activities only recently in Hungary. This paper examines the organisational environment in drug outpatient treatment using the example of Blue Point Foundation (BPF), a non-governmental organization (NGO). The authors describe BPF's organizational structure and functioning related to its effectiveness.

Methods: BPF staff members anonymously completed a 59-item questionnaire about its organizational characteristics and functioning. The questionnaire covered demographic data, 50 items of the Quality Control questionnaire and a SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, Threats) analysis.

Results: Policy and strategy were considered BPF's best feature, while the management of funds received the lowest rating. The assessment of the staff and that of the organization as a whole was closer to the midpoint of the scale.

Discussion: High risk of staff burnout and unstable organizational environment are the most important threats on the NGOs working in addictology in Hungary.

Keywords: addictology, organizational environment, burnout

Received: August 29, 2011; Revised: August 8, 2012; Accepted: August 8, 2012; Published: December 1, 2012  Show citation