Addressing the U.S. Opioid Crisis: Using an Integrated Systems-Based Approach: Addendum 2020
Document submitted January 21, 2020, as an addendum to testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Opioids on December 17, 2019.
Reports and Articles - Treatment
Below are the most recent reports and articles from the RAND Drug Policy Research Center. Please visit our RAND Topics pages for a complete research archive on these and other drug policy-related research topics.
RAND Topic Pages: Substance Abuse Treatment2020
2019
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Access to Office-Based Buprenorphine Treatment in Areas With High Rates of Opioid-Related Mortality: An Audit Study 2019
In the six jurisdictions with the highest rate of opioid-related mortality in 2016, the most prominent barrier to accessing buprenorphine treatment was the difficulty of finding clinicians.
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Addressing the U.S. Opioid Crisis: Using an Integrated Systems-Based Approach 2019
Testimony presented before the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 17, 2019.
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Association Between State Laws Facilitating Pharmacy Distribution of Naloxone and Risk of Fatal Overdose 2019
Although many states have passed some type of law affecting naloxone availability, only laws allowing direct dispensing by pharmacists appear to be useful. Communities in which access to naloxone is improved should prepare for increases in nonfatal overdoses and link these individuals to effective treatment.
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Business Cycles and Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment 2019
The relationship between business cycles and health is theoretically complex. In a seminal paper, Ruhm (2000) outlined a series of economic mechanisms through which business cycles may influence health.
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Federal Block Grants to States for Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Homelessness: Potential Improvements to Funding Formulas 2019
RAND researchers analyzed the formulas for distributing funds to states under three block grants for services related to mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness (unchanged since 1992) to determine whether they should be modified.
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Identifying Safety-Net Resources at Health Centers to Prevent Infectious Disease Transmission Resulting from the Opioid Epidemic 2019
This study highlights factors that affect Community Health Centers' ability to reduce infectious disease transmission related to the opioid epidemic. The emphasis is on rural areas, which have suffered disproportionately from the opioid epidemic and lack resources to address the complex social and medical issues related to opioid use, opioid use disorder, and risk for infectious diseases.
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Law Enforcement Efforts to Fight the Opioid Crisis: Convening Police Leaders, Multidisciplinary Partners, and Researchers to Identify Promising Practices and to Inform a Research Agenda 2019
An expert panel of law enforcement leaders identified promising efforts to combat the opioid crisis, including connecting people with opioid use disorder to medication-assisted treatment; building lasting partnerships to achieve community buy-in, enable information sharing, and effectively tackle challenges; and addressing community and other stakeholder concerns before high-priority harm-reduction approaches can be pursued.
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Rates and Impact of Adherence to Recommended Care for Unhealthy Alcohol Use 2019
The objectives of this study were to describe quality of care for unhealthy alcohol use among patients visiting primary care settings and to determine whether better quality of alcohol care was linked to reduced alcohol consumption 6 months later.
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Review and Evaluation of the Substance Abuse, Mental Health, and Homelessness Grant Formulas 2019
The formulas for distributing funds to states under three block grants (the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant, the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, and the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness program) have not been updated since 1992. RAND researchers conducted this congressionally mandated study to determine whether the formulas should be modified.
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Simulation of County Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Rates Tool 2019
Rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), which occurs in newborns who were exposed to opioids in the womb, have increased dramatically over the past decade. This web-based tool displays the rates of NAS from 2009 to 2015 by county in eight states: Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington.
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User Guide for the Training in Psychotherapy (TIP) Tool 2.0 2019
The Training in Psychotherapy (TIP) Tool assesses how well psychotherapy trainings for community-based providers align with the core elements of trainings that were identified as potentially effective in a review of the literature and discussion with experts. This guide provides an update of the TIP Tool — the TIP Tool 2.0 — based on pilot testing with two psychotherapy training organizations.
2018
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Acceptability of Heroin-Assisted Treatment and Supervised Drug Consumption Sites to Address the Opioid Crisis in the United States: Key Informant Perspectives 2018
This working paper is part of a series of reports assessing the evidence on and arguments made about heroin-assisted treatment and supervised consumption sites and examining some of the issues associated with implementing them in the United States.
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Addressing the Opioid Epidemic in the United States: Lessons from the Department of Veterans Affairs 2018
Reflecting a comprehensive VA effort to improve pain management, in 2007 fewer veterans received high doses of opioids and more veterans received non-opioid pain therapies, naloxone, and treatment for substance use disorders.
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Blackouts as a Moderator of Young Adult Veteran Response to Personalized Normative Feedback for Heavy Drinking 2018
Online personalized normative feedback (PNF) interventions for alcohol use may be particularly effective for people who have recently experienced an alcohol-induced blackout.
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Considering Heroin-Assisted Treatment and Supervised Drug Consumption Sites in the United States 2018
Given the severity of the opioid crisis in the United States, there is urgency to evaluate tools that might reduce its impact and save lives. In this mixed-methods report, the authors assess evidence on and arguments made about heroin-assisted treatment and supervised consumption sites and examine some of the issues associated with implementing them in the United States.
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Data Sources and Data-Linking Strategies to Support Research to Address the Opioid Crisis: Final Report 2018
This report highlights key research questions and identifies opportunities to use existing data sources and implement data-linking strategies that can support the HHS five point strategy to combat the opioid crisis.
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Effects of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Opioid Use Disorder on Functional Outcomes: A Systematic Review 2018
A weak evidence base prevents strong conclusions about the effects of Medication Assisted Treatment for opioid use disorder on functional outcomes.
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Effects of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Opioid Use Disorder on Functional Outcomes: A Systematic Review 2018
This systematic review synthesizes evidence on the effects of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) on functional outcomes, including cognitive (e.g., memory), physical (e.g., fatigue), occupational (e.g., employment status), social/ behavioral (e.g., criminal activity), and neurological (e.g., balance) function. Literature reviewers screened 6,292 citations and presented results in comprehensive evidence tables.
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Effects of Motivational Interviewing Fidelity on Substance Use Treatment Engagement in Primary Care 2018
Motivational interviewing is used extensively to improve health and substance use-related outcomes, but therapists may need more training in strategic use of the approach.