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AHRQ: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Substance Use Tools & Resources   

Read the Guide

This collection of tools and resources is for providers, staff, and patients who offer or use services to address substance use, and other interested stakeholders. This collection was originally established following an environmental scan on implementing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural primary care. (See PDFs of Volume 1 [PDF 0.69 MB] and Volume 2 [PDF 1.28 MB] of that scan). Items have been continuously added to this collection since then, and the collection has expanded to cover substance use more broadly, rather than just MAT for OUD.

Displaying 1 - 10 of 35

U.S. Overdose Deaths Remain Higher Than in Other Countries — Trend-Tracking and Harm-Reduction Policies Could Help

This blog post reviews the rate of overdose fatality in the United States and how it compares to that of other countries. The blog post also reviews harm reduction policies that could assuage this crisis.
Format
Web Page
Audience
Policymakers and Payers
States
Graduate Education
Source
The Commonwealth Fund
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN): Alcohol-Related ED Visits Short Report

ED Visits Involving Alcohol Short Report presents the following data from January 2021-September 2023 (1) national estimates and characteristics of alcohol-related ED visits (2) demographics of alcohol-related ED visits (3) percent of ED visits related to alcohol and at least one other substance.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Behavioral Health Providers
Medical Providers
Policymakers and Payers
Source
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Year
Resource Type
PDF
File Size
142 KB

DAWN 2022 Non-Fatal Overdoses Short Report

This report from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) focuses on estimates and characteristics of non-fatal overdoses for emergency department visits from January, 2021–June, 2022.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Policymakers and Payers
Communities
Source
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Year
Resource Type
PDF
File Size
65.1 KB

DAWN Findings from Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits, 2022

This report provides national estimates from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) for 2022 data on drug-related emergency department visits, to inform programs to aid in preventing overdose and substance use-related health consequences.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Policymakers and Payers
Communities
Source
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Year
Resource Type
PDF
File Size
775 KB

Drug Guide

This resource hub provides a comprehensive and up-to-date source of substance-specific information.
Format
Web Page
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Patients
Families
Source
Partnership to End Addiction
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Harm Reduction as a Trauma-Informed Approach to Substance Use - A Guide for Primary Care Providers

This guide provides information and strategies to primary care providers on harm reduction as a trauma informed approach to treating individuals with substance use disorder.
Format
Guide
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Source
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
Year
Resource Type
PDF
File Size
593 KB

Pain in the Nation 2023: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths

These recommendations from TFAH, primarily aimed at federal and state governments, aim to reduce alcohol, drug, and suicide deaths and to improve mental health and well-being for all Americans.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
States
Policymakers and Payers
Source
Trust for America's Mental Health (TFAH)
Year
Resource Type
PDF
File Size
1.7 MB

Practice-Based Guidelines: Buprenorphine in the Age of Fentanyl

These guidelines provide practical clinical practice-based guidance, based on available research combined with emerging clinical experience, on the use of buprenorphine in the treatment of individuals using fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids.

Format
Guide
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Source
Provider Clinical Support System (PCSS)
Year
Resource Type
PDF
File Size
1646 KB