Study of the Science of Service Laboratory to Improve Contingency Management for Stimulant Use in Opioid Treatment Programs

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating a multi-level approach called the Science of Service Laboratory to increase the use of contingency management for stimulant use among people receiving medication for opioid use disorder. This study focuses on public sector addiction specialty treatment programs and aims to improve both how contingency management is implemented and patient outcomes. The trial addresses the gap in using contingency management, an evidence-based intervention for stimulant addiction, within opioid treatment programs. The study uses a stepped wedge design where addiction programs are randomized in cohorts to receive the Science of Service Laboratory strategy. This approach includes didactic training with workshops and coaching calls, performance feedback through practice sessions and electronic medical record data, and external facilitation with monthly calls. Programs start with usual care and then transition to the implementation strategy, allowing comparison before and after the intervention. Participants include opioid treatment program counselors providing psychosocial support and patients newly started on medication for opioid use disorder who also use stimulants. Data collected include de-identified electronic medical records on contingency management delivery and patient outcomes, alongside staff reports on implementation factors. Primary outcomes focus on changes in the percentage of patients receiving contingency management and counselors delivering it over 10 months. Secondary outcomes include stimulant abstinence measured by toxicology screens and the number of contingency management sessions.

Implementing Contingency Management for Stimulant Use in Specialty Addiction Treatment Organizations