Over the past several decades, a large number of evidence-based prevention initiatives for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use have been rigorously tested and shown to be efficacious. However, despite availability, evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for prevention of ATOD use are rarely adopted in everyday practice within school and community service settings. Further, even when adopted, these EBIs are seldom implemented with strong adherence to the original design and often fail to be sustained over time. A growing body of literature demonstrates how implementation quality is directly related to the likelihood an EBI will be embedded into everyday practice, as well as the likelihood that the EBI achieves its intended treatment outcomes. The most effective EBI will not produce positive results if it is not implemented with quality and sustained within its """"""""real-world service setting. NIDA's Strategic Plan specifically identifies the need for effective methods to help close the gap between development of evidence-based prevention initiatives and their adoption and long-term sustainability in school and community service settings. The goal of this Phase I SBIR project is to test the feasibility, acceptability, and utility of incorporating ATOD EBIs into a web-based tool (Centervention) currently designed to support dissemination and quality implementation of mental health EBIs for youth within school settings. This flexible technology infrastructure offers a suite of customizable online tools and services, including cost-efficient, high quality training and supervision resources, ongoing implementation assistance for intervention providers, adherence monitoring, and outcomes tracking that might be applicable to ATOD EBIs within school and community service settings.
Three specific aims will be accomplished through Phase I of this project: (1) an example ATOD EBI (Project CHOICE) will be incorporated into the Centervention framework to establish needed modifications for dissemination of ATOD EBIs;(2) a feasibility test of the Project CHOICE prototype will be conducted with stakeholder groups;and (3) based on Phase I findings and recommendations, a plan for incorporating and testing the dissemination of multiple ATOD EBIs during Phase II will be generated. The primary commercial application will be a technology infrastructure that provides tools and services specifically designed to support quality implementation of ATOD EBIs within school- or community-based service settings. If successful in increasing the likelihood that ATOD EBIs are adopted, used as intended, and sustained in everyday practice, the proposed product offers the potential for significant societal benefits.
Over the past several decades, a large number of evidence-based prevention initiatives for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use have been rigorously tested and shown to be efficacious [1-3]. Federal and state policies as well as lists published by federal agencies, such as SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence- based Programs and Practices, have attempted to increase EBI use [4, 5] However, despite availability, evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for prevention of ATOD use are rarely adopted in everyday practice within school and community service settings [6-9]. Further, even when adopted, these EBIs are seldom implemented with strong adherence to the original design [6] and often fail to be sustained over time [8, 10, and 11]. A growing body of literature demonstrates how implementation quality is directly related to the likelihood an EBI will be embedded into everyday practice, as well as the likelihood that the EBI achieves its intended treatment outcomes [12-14]. The most effective EBI will not produce positive results if it is not implemented with quality and sustained within its real-world service setting. NIDA's Strategic Plan [7] specifically identifies the need for effective methods to help close the gap between development of evidence-based prevention initiatives and their adoption and long-term sustainability in school and community service settings. The proposed project will leverage 3-C's technological expertise and experience to create a flexible, scalable technology infrastructure applicable to ATOD EBIs on a broad scale in order to effectively decrease costs (time, personnel) to both providers and intervention developers, enhance the quality with which ATOD EBIs are implemented, and increase dissemination of ATOD EBIs into real world everyday practice. If successful in increasing the likelihood that ATOD EBIs are adopted, used as intended, and sustained in everyday practice, the proposed product offers the potential for significant societal benefits.
