Little is known of the impact of practice guidelines on publicly funded substance abuse (SA) treatment. Since 1993, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) has sponsored the development and dissemination of Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs), which are consensus-based best practice guidelines intended to provide salient and effective approaches to SA treatment. CSAT is funding a 4-year evaluation of TIPs' effectiveness based on the Diffusion of Innovations theoretical framework (Rogers, 1995). The retrospective portion of this evaluation included a two-wave survey to study how clinicians access and use TIPs; to generate new theory about how the SA treatment community uses guidelines; if, how, and when they incorporate TIPs into their programming; and how TIPs can be improved. Wave 1 of the Retrospective study collected data from 3,267 Single State Agency directors, treatment facility program directors, clinical supervisors, and counselors to study access, dissemination, and decision-making influences. The present findings are based on a Follow-up Survey (Wave 2) of Wave 1 respondents who reported that they were aware of and had used TIPs (n=1,028). Formal qualitative analysis of Wave 2 data is yielding important theory-relevant findings to understanding how clinicians use TIPs, barriers to implementation of practice-related program changes, TIPs satisfaction, and recommendations for improvements. The incorporation of qualitative methods provides important information that complements and substantiates Wave 1 findings and contributes new theory to the areas of health communication, the dissemination of information, program evaluation methodology, and supports the translation of scientific knowledge into policy.
Learning Objectives: 1. Understand how treatment providers use TIPs 2. Identify barriers to implementation of practice-related program changes 3. Describe providers'recommendations for improving the usefulness of best practice guidelines in substance abuse treatment
Keywords: Substance Abuse Treatment,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.