NIDA is launching a new publication for drug abuse researchers and treatment providers. Science & Practice Perspectives seeks to promote a practical, creative dialogue between scientists and service providers. Published twice a year, the exchange of information, observations, and insights is expected to help clinicians make the most of their programs and treatment outcomes while helping researchers construct new hypotheses and design studies of strong relevance to the needs of providers and patients.
"Drug abuse researchers and clinicians share a common dedication to reducing the devastation caused by drug abuse and addiction," observes NIDA Acting Director Dr. Glen Hanson. "By combining forces, researchers and clinicians are able to produce treatment results and improvements that far surpass the results that either could achieve on their own. Perspectives joins the Clinical Trials Network as cornerstones of NIDA's ongoing efforts to help achieve these results -- both by presenting and stimulating ideas and solutions that can reduce the deadly toll of drug abuse."
The peer-reviewed Science & Practice Perspectives will feature:
- Top researchers' up-to-the-minute reviews of the most critical topics in the science of prevention and treatment -- written and edited for clinicians and administrators;
- Top service providers' perspectives on what works and can work in diverse community treatment settings -- together with their priorities for future research;
- Roundtable discussions that probe and amplify the points in each article and elaborate the practical implications for both researchers and service providers;
- Examples of successful research-practice collaborations described by the partners involved; and
- Lively charts and illustrations together with in-depth explanation and discussion.
David Anderson of NIDA's Office of Science Policy and Communications, Editor of NIDA NOTES, is the Editor of Perspectives. The distinguished editorial board for the new journal represents a wealth of scientific and clinical drug abuse expertise from across the Nation. Board members are Dr. Kathleen Carroll, Yale University School of Medicine; Dr. R. Lorraine Collins, Research Institute on Addictions, State University of New York; T. Ron Jackson, Evergreen Treatment Services, Seattle, Washington; Dr. Herbert D. Kleber, New York State Psychiatric Institute; Dr. Marsha M. Linehan, University of Washington; Dr. Charles P. O'Brien, Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Dr. Lisa Onken, NIDA Division of Treatment Research and Development; Dr. John Schwarzlose, Betty Ford Center; Dr. Jack Stein, NIDA Office of Science Policy and Communications; and Dr. Constance M. Weisner, University of California, San Francisco.
Volume 1, Number 1
The first issue of Perspectives will feature five invited articles and related roundtable discussions:
- "The Neurobiology of Opioid Dependence: Implications for Treatment," by Drs. Thomas R. Kosten and Tony P. George, uses straightforward language to explain a complex subject: how chronic opioid abuse changes the brain and how medications counter those changes. Providers also can use the article to help patients understand their addiction as a brain disease.
- In "Treatment Practice and Research Issues in Improving Opioid Treatment Outcomes," T. Ron Jackson offers advice for community treatment programs facing a new era of accountability for treatment outcomes and discusses opportunities for research-practice collaborations to assist the process of program adaptation.
- "Treating Women Drug Abusers: Action Therapy and Trauma Assessment," by Ann Uhler and Dr. Olga Parker, discusses their use of action therapy with female patients. They also call on researchers to develop a new trauma assessment tool for use in initial interviews, arguing that currently existing tools may drive some women away from treatment.
- Drs. James L. Sorensen, Carmen L. Masson, and David C. Perlman wrote "HIV/Hepatitis Prevention in Drug Abuse Treatment Programs: Guidance From Research" to demonstrate how drug abuse treatment programs play a crucial role in preventing, detecting, and treating these viral diseases. This provocative discussion shows providers how to reduce the impact of drug-abuse-related infections for patients and their communities without substantially increasing program costs.
- "Using Behavioral Reinforcement To Improve Methadone Treatment Participation," by Drs. Robert K. Brooner and Michael Kidorf, describes motivational stepped care, an innovative system that allows providers to prescribe the dosage and mix of treatment components -- medication and counseling -- that conform to each patient's needs. The authors describe how they used the literature of scientific research to construct their system, and they summarize early evaluations, which have shown promising indications of effectiveness.
Volume 1, Number 1 of Perspectives will be mailed to approximately 23,000 drug abuse researchers and prevention/treatment providers nationwide in May 2002.