# Pilot Implementation of Measurement-Based Care in Community Opioid Treatment Programs

> **NIH NIH K23** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $186,361

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Opioid overdose has been recognized as a public health emergency, as lethal drug overdoses have become
the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. The gold standard, evidence-based intervention for
opioid use disorder is pharmacotherapy, but abstinence rates following pharmacotherapy are sub-optimal.
Measurement-based care (MBC), the systematic use of client self-report data to inform and enhance
treatment, is an evidence-based intervention that could be uniquely well suited to complement
pharmacotherapy for OUD. Unfortunately, very few community opioid treatment programs (OTPs) offer
psychosocial interventions to complement pharmacotherapy due to the high volume of patients served and a
reliance on group therapy models to accommodate this large census. There is a pressing need for flexible
psychosocial intervention structures for use in OTPs that are not associated with typical barriers found in full
package, manualized interventions. The training and research activities in this proposal seek to enhance the
provision of MBC in community OTPs through two research phases bolstered by four training aims. In Phase 1
of the research plan, the candidate, supported by the experienced mentorship team, will work with 8 OTPs to
develop community-engaged research partnerships, complete site visits, and engage treatment providers,
leaders, staff, and patients in qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys. Phase 1 outcomes will be used to
inform site selection for MBC implementation and to facilitate adaptation of an MBC assessment protocol for
use in OTPs. Phase 2 will involve a pilot type I hybrid effectiveness-implementation study with four OTPs. The
candidate will work with the OTPs to integrate MBC into electronic medical record documentation procedures.
Treatment providers will also receive MBC training and ongoing support, and preliminary MBC effectiveness
and implementation data will be collected. To conduct this research, the candidate requires training in four key
areas: 1) development and management of community-engaged partnerships to support effectiveness and
implementation trials in addiction treatment; 2) training in evidence-based assessment and intervention
methods for OUD; 3) training in mixed methods data collection using rapid ethnography; and 4) training in
measure design and adaptation. These training aims will be supported by the Brown University Center for
Alcohol and Addiction Studies as well as by the candidate’s mentorship team. The mentorship team will be led
by Primary Mentor Dr. Sara Becker, an expert in implementation science and community partnership
development in substance use treatment settings. The proposal will also be supported by Dr. Francesca
Beaudoin, Dr. Lawrence Palinkas, and Dr. Melissa Clark, experts in OUD intervention, rapid mixed methods
data collection, and measure design, respectively. Taken together, this research and career development plan
will advance a significant pub...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10691007
- **Project number:** 7K23DA050729-03
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kelli Scott
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $186,361
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2022-08-25 → 2026-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10691007

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10691007, Pilot Implementation of Measurement-Based Care in Community Opioid Treatment Programs (7K23DA050729-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10691007. Licensed CC0.

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