Full Summary — Using Science to Inform Practice and Policy: A Coordinated Approach to Research Priority Setting
Overview
December 11, 2017
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in partnership with ECRI Institute, convened the meeting as part of the Cutting-Edge Science Meeting Series to End the Opioid Crisis. Participants included leaders and subject matter experts from agencies and offices within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, and national organizations.
The goals of the meeting were to (1) inform the NIDA’s strategic thinking and planning, as well as that of other participating organizations, (2) identify and foster potential collaborations among the public- and private-sector participants, and (3) continue to build the inventory of top priorities that will benefit from an enhanced science base.
The following high-priority action items identified by participants include:
- Strengthen the connection between research and practice:
- Note that a learning health care system can shorten the time it takes to generate evidence and translate evidence-based practices into the real world
- Adapt interventions to local needs and context
- Recognize that research should inform clinical practice
- Launch a pilot demonstration project to improve treatment for OUD within a state by focusing on a state’s system of OUD care
- Explore, maximize, and expedite the use of all available data sources and study designs (develop a complete inventory of relevant research results, including those from outside HHS):
- Use clinical trials, as well as observational and secondary data sources, to develop evidence
- Consider barriers to using the data, including confidentiality issues and the need for a feedback loop to primary care providers
- Engage “citizen scientists” to help develop outcome and quality measures:
- Need standardized metrics that patients and families can use to report on patient experience and treatment outcomes
- Determine criteria to indicate the most appropriate treatment setting, e.g., inpatient versus outpatient treatment:
- Collect longer-term outcomes data to understand the utility of different treatments, durations, settings, and modalities
- Establish which treatment interventions are effective for patients with mild OUD or subclinical opioid misuse
- Conduct research to address cost and sustainability and to develop effective public messaging
Background
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in partnership with ECRI Institute, convened the meeting as part of the Cutting-Edge Science Meeting Series to End the Opioid Crisis. Participants included leaders and subject matter experts from agencies and offices within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, and national organizations—including associations for hospitals, insurers, medical professionals, and patients and families. Eleven heads of agencies and organizations participated (see Participant List).