In the diffusion of innovations everyone changes: Linking practice with scientific research.

Many currently-available, science-based drug abuse treatment approaches are not widely used by community-based treatment agencies. These include both behavioral interventions (for example, contingency management approaches using vouchers, recently studied in protocols CTN-0006 and CTN-0007) and pharmacotherapy (a recent example is the use of buprenorphine, studied in protocols CTN-0001 and CTN-0002). Research-developed interventions have the potential to improve the quality and impact of drug abuse treatment. Likewise, treatment can have a valuable impact on research, as practitioners take on the role of change agents.

This presentation outlines a number of basic principles that affect likelihood of successful diffusion — principles identified by nearly a century of empirical study on how to promote dissemination of innovations. The nature of the innovations can affect the likelihood that a scientifically-based treatment will be used in practice (how complex are they? how compatible are they with the program’s philosophy?). The organizations are also important (is there enough willingness to try something new? how well does the innovation fit the population being served?). Finally, the diffusion process also leads to a decision regarding whether or not to adopt. In addition to discussing these principles, the presentation also describes three dissemination resources: the CTN Dissemination Library, the new journal “Implementation Sciences,” and the University of South Florida’s review, “Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature.”

Psychologists can keep in mind a concept underlying these principles: Improvement involves a human process which, if successful, leads to individual and organizational change. The building of provider-researcher trust is a key element in adoption. It is important that dissemination works both ways . . . from research to practice and from practice to research.