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Objectives. We report on a pilot project that used a telephone-based interactive voice response system, assessed by cellular phones at diverse sites, to interview homeless persons on their need for alcohol and other drug treatment. Methods. Using this technique, we surveyed 207 homeless adults at eight shelters in Cleveland, Ohio. Results. The cellular approach was comparable to human-administered interviews in reliability and validity and yielded higher self-reported levels of drug use. Conclusions. Cellular telephones and interactive voice response interviewing systems can be useful tools in assessing for the health-service needs of difficult-to-reach populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the implementation of an automated interactive voice response screening system within the central intake unit at the Cuyahoga County, Ohio jail. Inmates listened to a series of prerecorded questions and responded by pressing keys on the assigned telephone. Ten percent of the respondents reported a mental health service history, 19 percent reported symptoms of schizophrenia and 16 percent reported symptoms of bipolar disorder. The use of automated screening systems in monitoring risk factors in county jails may provide short-term indicators to identify preventive strategies, assess their effectiveness and predict emerging epidemics.