A Research Update from the National Institute on Drug Abuse —
October 2007
Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice
Thousands of individuals seeking treatment for drug abuse
will benefit from the NIDA Blending Initiative, which is
designed to accelerate scientific findings into clinical
practice. As the leading NIH Institute studying addiction,
NIDA's commitment to bridging the gap between research
and practice has resulted in the development of innovative
tools to put directly in the hands of front-line treatment
providers at nearly the same time that research results are
published in peer-reviewed journals.
The NIDA Blending Initiative
This Initiative was created in response to the Institute of
Medicine's report (1998, 2003) which noted the 17-year
gap between the publication of research and its impact on treatment delivery. In 1999 when NIDA launched the
National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN), the Institute harnessed approximately 200
community treatment programs within the CTN to test research-based treatments using the gold standard of
clinical research– the randomized clinical trial– in real world settings. As soon as CTN research studies are
tested and completed, the results are disseminated through the Blending Initiative, which is composed of three
components: Regional Blending Conferences, Blending Products and State Agency Partnerships. The key
hallmark of the Blending Initiative is the promotion of bi-directional and productive communication between
researchers, treatment providers and policy-makers while also delivering pioneering research findings to the field.
Regional Blending Conferences
In 2000, NIDA launched its "Blending" conference series, "Blending Clinical Practice and Research: Forging
Partnerships to Enhance Drug Addiction Treatment Research." Six Blending Conferences have been
strategically convened in different geographic regions of the country. All conference sessions are designed to
enhance the bi-directional dialogue between researchers, clinical practitioners and policy-makers.
Blending Teams and Products
In 2002, NIDA initiated a historic partnership with the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to expedite the dissemination of NIDA's research
results into the addiction treatment field. Blending Teams, composed of NIDA researchers, community treatment
providers and trainers from SAMHSA's Addiction Technology Transfer Centers (ATTC) work closely together to
create innovative Blending products. Based on recently tested NIDA research, the Blending Teams design userfriendly
products for clinical practitioners to use during treatment. Completed products include training packages
composed of informational manuals, PowerPoint presentations, videos, CDs, curricula and annotated
bibliographies. NIDA co-funds the ATTCs ($1.5 million per year) to support the development of these Blending
products.
Since Blending products are developed to fill the specific training needs of the practice community, each product
has a specific focus. To date, the following five Blending Products have been developed at nearly the same time that the research results are published in peer-reviewed journals, substantially reducing the gap between research
and practice. These include:
- Buprenorphine Treatment: Training for Multidisciplinary Addiction Professionals – The primary goal
of this product is to introduce buprenorphine to the addiction field. Buprenorphine is the first addiction
treatment medicine to be available in the privacy of a doctor's office.
- Short-Term Opioid Withdrawal Using Buprenorphine – The primary goal of this product is to instruct
providers on the administration of a 13-day buprenorphine taper for opioid dependent patients.
- Treatment Planning M.A.T.R.S. – This product instructs providers on how to transform required
"paperwork" (assessments, forms, case notes, etc.) into useful clinical information.
- Motivational Interviewing Assessment: Supervisory Tools for Enhancing Proficiency (MIA:STEP) – This product is designed to enhance the effectiveness of motivational interviewing, a technique designed
to strengthen a person's commitment to change behavior through treatment.
- Promoting Awareness of Motivational Incentives (PAMI) – These tools provide information about the
science-based therapeutic intervention known as Motivational Incentives (MI) and highlights data on how
the use of positive reinforcement has reduced drug abuse and has enhanced client retention in treatment
programs.
These new Blending products and other information on the NIDA Blending Initiative can be found at:
http://www.drugabuse.gov/blending/.
State Substance Abuse Agencies: Key Partners to Implementing Research-based
Practices
The Single State Authorities (SSAs), responsible for managing each State's publicly funded substance abuse
system, are interested in the latest treatment research, especially interventions that can improve effectiveness and
cost- efficiency. NIDA works closely with multiple national organizations including the National Association of
State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) to help identify strategies to accelerate the adoption of
evidence-based practices into State drug abuse prevention and treatment programs. To help support these
efforts, NIDA awarded several infrastructure grants to States in 2005. These grants ($2.7 million per year for 3
years) promote the implementation of science-based practices across State-wide systems, conduct research to
determine the effective components of services delivery, and increase State research capacity.
Strengthening the Bridge
The bi-directional model inherent throughout all levels of the NIDA Blending Initiative is designed to accelerate
individual, program and systems-level change across the country. Through Blending, NIDA is able to directly
address the challenge of bridging the science of drug abuse and addiction to drug abuse treatment. By combining
information, resources and talent from the laboratory, community, and the field, the Blending Initiative will play a
critical role in increasing the adoption of research based programs and, therefore, contribute to closing the gap
between research and treatment of drug abuse and addiction.