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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Cynthia L. Arfken, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, 2761 E. Jefferson, Detroit, MI 48201, (313) 993-3490, carfken@med.wayne.edu, Andrea M. Hegedus, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 400 E. Eisenhower Parkway, Suite 2A, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, and Marcus W. Dickson, PhD, Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, 71 W. Warren, Detroit, MI 48202.
Recovery status of substance abuse clinical staff has been hypothesized to be a barrier to translating research findings into clinical practice. This hypothesis has not yet been examined empirically. If true, it may be due to those in recovery utilizing "local" versus "cosmopolite" sources for new information. Using a survey of five substance abuse community treatment programs affiliated with a clinical trial network, we tested if clinical staff in recovery had lower awareness of new research findings and different sources of new information than staff not in recovery. Of the 71 clinical staff, 35% self-reported being in recovery. There were no significant demographic differences or length of time in the substance abuse treatment field between the groups of those in and those not in recovery. There were significant differences in awareness of contingency management as a treatment for substance abuse (p=.03). No differences were detected for other novel treatments. Moreover, there was no difference in use of co-workers (a "local" source) or the internet (a "cosmopolite" source) as source for new information on substance abuse treatment. Both groups were more likely to have used co-workers than the internet as a source for information on substance abuse treatment (p<.001 and p<.003). Based upon these findings, it does not appear that having staff in recovery acts as a barrier to translating research findings into clinical practice at clinics involved in clinical research. More work needs to be done, however, to prove this and should include clinics not involved in clinical research.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Drug Abuse Treatment, Community-Based Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.