Bringing the Latest Evidence-based Substance Use Disorder Treatments into Clinical Practice

May 17, 2024 /
NIDA CTN Dissemination Initiative

The National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network Dissemination Initiative (NIDA CTN DI) promotes the adoption of evidence-based practices and research on substance use disorders into clinical practice.  For one recent project, NIDA CTN DI staff partnered with nationally known subject-matter experts in opioid use disorder (OUD) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to create a four-part podcast series available for continuing medical education (CME) credit.

The series, called Buprenorphine Initiation in the Emergency Department: Why, When, and How? takes hospital leaders and emergency department teams through the clinical evidence, the technology, and the community referral networks necessary to implement a successful emergency department-based buprenorphine initiation program. The final podcast of the series offers advice from the CEO of a large medical system who brought buprenorphine treatment to its emergency departments along with other successful OUD treatment initiatives.

Bringing these kinds of projects to life follows a consistent process:

  • Discovery. A gap in knowledge or clinical practice is identified along with the impacted audiences.
  • Planning. The NIDA CTN DI team collaborates with investigators and subject-matter experts to determine the best ways to reduce such gaps and to reach the target audiences.
  • Execution. Collaboration continues throughout production and as subject-matter experts vet the materials. Past projects have included free screening and assessment tools like the Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription Medication, and other Substance Use (TAPS) tool, interactive case vignettes and trainings, videos, podcasts, and more.
  • Evaluation. The NIDA CTN DI team tracks the usage of these resources to inform future projects.

The NIDA CCTN team works with Bizzell US to identify studies with clinical implications. They also collaborate with health care organizations that synthesize evidence-based research into tools and resources for clinicians, patients, and communities, such as a video and an infographic (also available in Spanish) about the dangers of fentanyl produced with the University of Pennsylvania Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy.

Please visit the CTN Dissemination Initiative webpage to learn more about how NIDA CTN DI can help translate study findings into tools and resources that benefit clinicians, patients, and communities. For more information about specific study dissemination opportunities, contact NIDA CCTN Staff: Quandra Blackeney, August Holtyn, and Jeremiah Bertz, or Bizzell US.