Buprenorphine adoption in the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network

J Subst Abuse Treat. 2009 Oct;37(3):307-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2008.12.004. Epub 2009 Jul 3.

Abstract

The National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN), a collaborative federal research initiative that brings together universities and community-based treatment programs (CTPs), has conducted multiple clinical trials of buprenorphine for opioid dependence. Part of the CTN's mission is to promote the adoption of evidence-based treatment technologies. Drawing on a data collected during face-to-face interviews with administrators from a panel of 206 CTPs, this research examines the adoption of buprenorphine over a 2-year period. These data indicated that the adoption of buprenorphine doubled between the baseline and 24-month follow-up interviews. Involvement in a buprenorphine protocol continued to be a strong predictor of adoption at the 2-year follow-up, although adoption of buprenorphine tripled among those CTPs without buprenorphine-specific protocol experience. For-profit CTPs and those offering inpatient detoxification services were more likely to adopt buprenorphine over time. A small percentage of programs discontinued using buprenorphine. These findings point to the dynamic nature of service delivery in community-based addiction treatment and the continued need for longitudinal studies of organizational change.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Buprenorphine / therapeutic use*
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Cooperative Behavior
  • Data Collection
  • Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Narcotic Antagonists / therapeutic use*
  • Opioid-Related Disorders / rehabilitation*
  • Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / methods*
  • Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / trends
  • United States

Substances

  • Narcotic Antagonists
  • Buprenorphine