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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 1 - 10 of 596

3 Things to Know About Substance Use and Suicide Mortality

The article explains that substance use and suicide deaths have risen nearly 40% over the past decade, became the third leading cause of death in the United States in 2024, and remain a major concern as many people still face barriers to accessing mental health and substance use treatment.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Source
KFF
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

A time-tested behavioral intervention brings new momentum to substance use treatment

The article explains that contingency management, an incentive based behavioral treatment with decades of strong evidence, is gaining renewed momentum through policy changes and real world implementation to address the urgent need for effective treatment of stimulant and other substance use disorders.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Policymakers and Payers
Source
American Psychological Association
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Access to Naloxone Can Save a Life During an Opioid Overdose

This FDA consumer update explains how naloxone can quickly reverse an opioid overdose, describes the signs of overdose, and encourages broad access to naloxone as a safe, lifesaving tool for people at risk and those who may witness an overdose.
Format
Web Page
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Source
U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Advisory: Addressing Cannabis Use Disorder in Primary Care Settings—A Lifespan Approach (PDF - 2.2 MB)

The advisory explains that cannabis use disorder is increasingly common across all ages and urges primary care providers to routinely screen, educate, and tailor evidence based interventions to patients’ developmental stage to reduce risks and improve outcomes.
Format
Advisory
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Source
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Year
Resource Type
PDF

Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy Among Women Aged 18–49 Years — United States, 2021–2024

This report summarizes national survey data from 2021 to 2024 showing that alcohol use during pregnancy remains a significant public health concern, with about 15 percent of pregnant women reporting recent drinking and smaller but notable shares reporting binge and heavy drinking.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Best Clinical Practices for Treating Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period

This course reviews the historical and current context of opioid use of women during pregnancy. It compares pharmacological treatment options for OUD and discusses issues with detoxification or medically assisted withdrawal from opioids during pregnancy.

Format
Web-Based Course
Audience
Medical Providers
Other Team Members
Source
Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

BTMPS in Fentanyl: What Parents Need to Know About This Emerging Chemical

This webpage explains that BTMPS is an industrial chemical increasingly found in fentanyl that may make overdoses more dangerous and difficult to treat, outlines its potential health risks, and provides harm reduction strategies to help protect people who use drugs.
Format
Web Page
Audience
Families
Children
Patients
Medical Providers
Source
Partnership to End Addiction
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

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

Evidence-Based Navigator Tool

The Evidence Based Practice Navigator Tool provides information on effective interventions for opioid use disorder and pain, including implementation approaches, costs, barriers, outcomes, and research needs to support evidence based decision making.
Format
Toolkit
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Source
HEAL Data2Action (HD2A) Research Adoption Support Center (RASC)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page