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AHRQ: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Substance Use Tools & Resources   

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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 - 609 KB) and Volume 2 (PDF - 1.3 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 11 - 20 of 1034

Bipolar Disorder and Substance Use

The page explains that bipolar disorder causes extreme mood swings between mania and depression, often co-occurs with substance use disorders because people may self-medicate symptoms, and is best treated through integrated care that addresses both conditions with medication, therapy, support, and lifestyle changes.
Format
Web Page
Audience
Families
Patients
Medical Providers
Source
Partnership to End Addiction
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Connecting Primary Care Patients to Substance Use Treatment: Successful Referral to Treatment

This brief highlights how states can strengthen the referral to treatment component of SBIRT by supporting provider training, team based care, warm handoffs, follow up services, and technology enabled referral systems that help primary care patients access timely substance use disorder treatment and recovery supports.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
States
Communities
Policymakers and Payers
Source
National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Course 2: Patient-Centered Care: Stigma and Advocacy

This course discusses the importance of patient-centered care, improved language when discussing substance use, and advocacy strategies that clinicians can use when caring for people who use substances.

Format
Webinar/Video
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Source
Providers Clinical Support System
Year
Resource Type
Video

Course 4: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

As part of the Substance Use Disorder 101 Core Curriculum from PCSS, this course reviews and compares pharmacological treatment options for individuals with OUD, including methadone, buprenorphine (sublingual and injectable formulations), and naltrexone (oral and long-acting intramuscular formulations). Evidence for each medication is reviewed in detail, and studies comparing each are discussed. The purpose and goal of medications for OUD are reviewed, and different treatment models are presented. The course includes case vignettes in which medication options for OUD are considered.

Format
Web-Based Course
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Source
Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS)
Year

Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2023–2024 (PDF - 616 KB)

This CDC data brief reports that U.S. age‑adjusted drug overdose death rates fell significantly from 2023 to 2024 across all demographic groups and drug categories, marking the largest annual decline in the past decade.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Policymakers and Payers
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Source
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Year
Resource Type
PDF

eCFR: 42 CFR Part 2 -- Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records

This page provides detailed information about Title 42, Part 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which focuses on the confidentiality of substance use disorder patient records.

Format
Web Page
Audience
Other Team Members
Policymakers and Payers
States
Source
Code of Federal Regulations
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Empowering Rural Communities: Overcoming Barriers to Treatment (PDF - 687 KB)

This webinar highlights the unique challenges rural communities face in accessing substance use disorder treatment and presents innovative, community-driven strategies—such as mobile clinics, telehealth, and local partnerships—to expand care and build recovery‑ready environments.
Format
Webinar/Video
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Communities
Source
Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network
Year
Resource Type
PDF

Engaging Difficult-To-Reach Adolescents into Substance Use Disorder Treatment (PDF - 2,000 KB)

This webinar provides practical, evidence‑based strategies to engage resistant or hard‑to‑reach adolescents in substance use disorder treatment by improving early-session connection, increasing session attendance, and using strength‑based, adolescent‑friendly approaches.
Format
Webinar/Video
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Source
Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network
Year
Resource Type
PDF

Fact Sheet 42 CFR Part 2 Final Rule

This is a SAMHSA summary of 42 CFR Part 2 final rule, with a focus on what has changed.

Format
Web Page
Audience
Other Team Members
Policymakers and Payers
States
Source
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

For Physicians: MOUD into Primary and Other Care Settings

This page explains how physicians can integrate medications for opioid use disorder into primary and other care settings, emphasizing that evidence based treatment, education, workflow changes, and stigma reduction can help expand access to effective substance use disorder care and support long term recovery.
Format
Web Page
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Source
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page