Developing a database concerning alcohol reduction policies and services in U.S. opioid treatment programs

The Foundation's Substance Abuse Policy Research Program was designed to provide support for investigators to conduct policy research on a variety of subjects directed at helping the country reduce the harm caused by substance abuse.Hazardous alcohol use is highly prevalent among opioid treatment program (OTP) patients, seriously jeopardizing not only their success in treatment but their overall health. Effective OTP policies that support alcohol reduction are essential, especially for the vast majority of OTP patients infected with HIV/AIDS or hepatitis C virus, for whom disease progression accelerates if excess drinking continues. Reflecting recent attention on the critical need to address patients' drinking, new accreditation guidelines for OTPs established by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration have emphasized the importance of implementing protocols to measure and monitor patients' alcohol use as key components of OTPs' quality improvement policies. This study, guided theoretically by both Simpson's Model of Organizational Change and the theory of diffusion of innovations regarding alcohol reduction policy, seeks to document the prevalence and types of alcohol policies in a large sample of U.S. OTPs. In addition, it will identify aggregate patient, staff, organizational, and state level correlates to explain variation in policy adoption and implementation, as well as preliminarily assess the enforcement, consequences, and perceived effectiveness of OTPs' alcohol policies.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $99,992.00

Awarded on: 8/12/2008

Time frame: 9/1/2008 - 2/28/2010

Grant Number: 65026