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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 - 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 31 - 40 of 1001

2024 Final Rule Implementation Fact Sheet (PDF - 1030 KB KB)

This resource is intended to assist Part 2 programs in complying with the requirements of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) 2024 Final Rule, which are the federal regulations governing the confidentiality of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment records.
Format
Fact Sheet/Brochure
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Source
Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information (CoE-PHI)
Year
Resource Type
PDF

2025 AMA Report on Substance Use and Treatment: Progress, Policy and Future Directions (PDF - 6.6 MB KB)

This report presents data on substance use and treatment. It identifies existing gaps in pain care, treatment for opioid use disorder, naloxone, and emerging threats such as polysubstance use and cannabis use disorder. Though, opioid-related deaths have dropped recently, the report concludes that the opioid epidemic is evolving faster than our systems are.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Source
American Medical Association (AMA)
Year
Resource Type
PDF

2025 National Guidelines for a Behavioral Health Coordinated System of Crisis Care (PDF - 1.6 MB KB)

This new publication provides guidance and highlight effective practices for crisis care services across the country. SAMHSA has identified the essential elements for an effective crisis continuum such that everyone in the nation has a robust system that meets their needs, one that includes “someone to contact, someone to respond, and a safe place for help.”

Format
Guide
Audience
Behavioral Health Providers
Medical Providers
Other Team Members
Policymakers and Payers
Source
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Year
Resource Type
PDF

Behind the Numbers: Making Sense of Trends in the Drug Supply and Overdose Rates

This webinar recording explores why novel psychoactive substances and new markets have emerged in recent years and breaks down recent overdose data trends and gaps.
Format
Webinar/Video
Audience
States
Policymakers and Payers
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Communities
Source
Overdose Prevention Network
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Blueprint for a National Prevention Infrastructure for Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders

This interactive resource highlights findings from the 2025 report, Blueprint for a National Prevention Infrastructure for Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders and includes actionable recommendations for various audiences.
Format
Web Page
Audience
Communities
Policymakers and Payers
Graduate Education
Behavioral Health Providers
Medical Providers
Source
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Buprenorphine Self-Start (PDF - 3.4 MB KB)

This document provides patient‑friendly guidance for starting buprenorphine outside of traditional clinical settings, offering multilingual self‑start instructions.
Format
Fact Sheet/Brochure
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Patients
Communities
Source
CA Bridge
Year
Resource Type
PDF

Challenges in Standardizing SUD Care Coordination (PDF - 309 KB KB)

This brief identifies key challenges to achieving standardization in substance use disorder (SUD) care coordination and offers solutions to create a reliable and fair system of care.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Communities
Source
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Year
Resource Type
PDF

Clinical Guidance for PrEP

This page from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides comprehensive guidance on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention.

Format
Web Page
Audience
Behavioral Health Providers
Medical Providers
Source
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Clinical Screening and Diagnosis for Hepatitis C

This page from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides comprehensive guidelines on clinical screening and diagnosis for Hepatitis C.

Format
Web Page
Audience
Behavioral Health Providers
Medical Providers
Source
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page