Treatment Program Perspectives: Conducting Research in the NIDA Clinical Trials Network

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Treatment Program Perspectives Conducting
Research in the NIDA Clinical Trials Network

• Yong S. Song, PhD

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NIDA Clinical Trials Network

• Cooperative undertaking of NIDA, university
  researchers community treatment providers
• Researchers clinicians work together to test
  empirically-based treatments in real world
  community settings
• Incorporating research into community treatment
  programs

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San Francisco General Hospital

• CTP of California/Arizona Node of NIDA CTN
• Teaching hospital for UCSF School of Medicine
• County hospital providing care to SFs indigent
  population
• Opiate Treatment Outpatient Program (OTOP)
• Long history of treating IDUs w/ HIV
• Integrated substance abuse, HIV mental health
  services
• University-based methadone programs well
  researched
• OTOP research familiar clinic and staff
• Several extramurally funded studies (Sorensen et
  al)

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CTN Protocol 0018

• HIV/STD Safer Sex Skills Groups for Men in
  Methadone Maintenance or Drug-Free Outpatient
  Treatment Programs
• Don Calsyn - Lead Investigator
• Collective effort involving research clinical
  staff

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Treatment Program Perspectives

• Training Supervision
• Implementation Issues
• Managing Resources Staff Time
• Goals Expectations for research

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Training Supervision

• Week long training for counselors
• Protocol trainings perceived as intense
• Protocol certification process difficult for some
• Comfort with sexual material
• Process of supervision

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Implementation Issues

• Providing manualized treatment
• Fidelity checks
• Co-facilitation of groups
• Attendance pt tracking strategies
• Clinical staff guidance in scheduling sessions

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Resources Staff Time

• Counselor turn-over in SUD programs high
• Clinical issues take priority
• Balancing busy clinical load with research duties

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Goals Expectations

• Multiple additional commitments
• Flexibility needed to please 2 masters
• Sometimes perceived as additional burden
• Feedback loop to clinical program

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Lessons Learned

• Incorporating research into clinical programs
  provided opportunities for many
• Opportunity for clinics to receive training about
  empirically validated treatments and new clinical
  opportunities
• Opportunity for researchers to conduct better
  research applied in real-life settings

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Acknowledgements

• NIDA U10DA015815 (James Sorensen, PI)

• Sara Berns, PhD
• Jennifer Borrow, MA
• Bill Buehlman
• Donald Calysn, PhD
• TeChieh Chen, BA
• Rhodri Dierst-Davies, BA
• Valerie Gruber, PhD
• Mary Hatch-Malliette, PhD
• Nancy Haug, PhD

• Bryan Jackson
• Carmen Masson, PhD
• Barbara Paschke, M.Ed
• Edward Pease, RN
• Sarah Pelta, MA
• Luis Ramos
• Dora Scott
• Michael Shopshire, PhD
• James Sorensen, PhD