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Purpose
The availability of empirically supported clinical practices for the
treatment of substance use disorders has increased as research moves
from highly-controlled clinical trials to the real world of community
treatment settings. The Evidence-Based Practices Substance Abuse (EBP)
database and
web site is a tool to help
treatment providers and policy officials make informed decisions about
which evidence-based practices are most appropriate for specific drug
problems and individuals.
Criteria for Selection
Practices have published research documenting their effectiveness,
and/or are recognized by reputable organizations as evidence-based.
Currently, 42 practices are included, most meeting these criteria:
• Research. The practice has
been studied in randomized clinical trials, quasi-experimental
studies, or in some cases, a less rigorously controlled research
design. Research results are published in peer reviewed journals.
• Meaningful outcomes. The
practice has resulted in benefits to the individuals receiving the
service. It has helped consumers achieve positive outcomes related
to treatment goals and objectives.
• Standardization. The practice
has been standardized so that it can be replicated. Preference is
given to programs which have developed a manual or similar
documentation.
• Replication. The intervention
has been studied in more than one setting and findings have yielded
consistent results.
• Fidelity measure. A
fidelity measure either exists or could be developed from available
information. Such measures allow practitioners to verify that an
intervention is being implemented in a manner consistent with the
protocol evaluated in the research.
Search Features
Users can view interventions in a matrix, browse and select by title, or
search the database using a variety of descriptors such as population,
drug problem, therapy type, and setting. Each entry includes a brief
description of the intervention, including implementation issues,
references to supporting literature, the availability of instructional
manuals and training, developer notes, and other useful information.
Other Features
In addition to the database, the EBP Substance Abuse web site includes
abstracts of selected review articles about the effectiveness of
evidence-based practices for treating substance abuse, links to web
resources for more information, and FAQs (frequently asked questions)
about the EBP-Substance Abuse database and related issues.
Target Audience
This database is intended for treatment providers, administrators, and
anyone else interested in researching and selecting evidence-based
practices for treating substance use disorders.
Future Plans
EBP-Substance Abuse is an expanding resource. As the efficacy and
effectiveness of practices are documented, they will be added to the
database, and we invite nominations of practices from the treatment and
research communities. If salient information about a practice is not
included in the database, please let us know. Our goal is to provide a
resource that helps treatment providers and policy officials make
informed decisions about building effective treatment services.
EBP-Substance Abuse is a project of the
University of Washington Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute and the
Northwest Frontier Addiction Technology Transfer Center, funded by the
Washington State Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse.
Contact:
adai@u.washington.edu
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