ES 10. Research for New Insights and Innovative Solutions to Health Problems

Core Functions: Assessment, Policy Development, and Assurance

Substance addiction is a complex problem that requires a multi-faceted response. Identifying and sharing promising practices and participating in research can lead to better health outcomes and improved functionality in public health.

There are many opportunities for research on effective approaches to mitigating the impact of the epidemic. Health departments may already participate in community health assessments, which can provide an understanding of local priorities, strengths, risks, and resources. Local universities, schools of public health, and hospitals may also have research resources and studies that can include public health departments as partners. Participating in research projects may bring resources to the local level that might otherwise not be available.

The following reports, web-based resources and scientific studies may enhance your understanding of the issue and improve your ability to respond locally to the epidemic.

Reports

• Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health addresses substance use disorders and the wider range of health problems and consequences related to alcohol and drug misuse in the United States. This report aims to galvanize the public, policymakers, and health care systems to make the most of new opportunities so that the individual and public health consequences associated with alcohol and drug misuse can be addressed effectively. https://addiction.surgeongeneral.gov 
• 2018 Annual Surveillance Report of Drug-Related Risks and Outcomes United States: This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report is the second annual surveillance report summarizing the latest information on the national level for prescribing patterns, drug use and non-fatal and fatal overdoses related to the current drug overdose epidemic in the United States. The report is intended to serve as a resource for persons charged with addressing this ongoing national crisis. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/pdf/pubs/2018-cdc-drug-surveillance-report.pdf

Web-Based Tools and Resources

• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) supports the Opioid Overdose Epidemic Toolkit for Local Health Departments. This toolkit provides links to relevant webpages and downloads of useful resources. https://www.naccho.org/programs/community-health/injury-and-violence/opioid-epidemic/local-health-departments-and-the-opioid-epidemic-a-toolkit
• Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO)’s Substance Misuse and Addiction Resource is an online searchable database of hundreds of practical resources from states related to prevention of substance misuse and addiction. http://www.astho.org/addictions/library/
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center aims to provide communities, clinicians, policy-makers and others in the field with the information and tools they need to incorporate evidence-based practices into their communities or clinical settings. The Resource Center contains a collection of scientifically-based resources for a broad range of audiences, including treatment improvement protocols, toolkits, resource guides, clinical practice guidelines, and other science-based resources.  https://www.samhsa.gov/ebp-resource-center
• National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Opioid Overdose Crisis website contains links at the bottom of the page to scientific journal articles, blogs and testimony on opioids and the use of science for prevention and treatment. https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis  

Journal Articles

• Finding Hope in the Battle Against the Opioid Overdose Crisis, a special edition of Connecticut Medicine, was issued in May 2019. It contains articles by Connecticut authors and researchers on the opioid overdose crisis and the full edition is available online. http://ctmed.csms.org/publication/?m=52908&l=1#{%22issue_id%22:586993,%22page%22:0}   

• CDC report, Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths  — United States, 2013-2017, details the number of drug overdose deaths and the contribution of synthetic opioids to increases in drug overdose death rates. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm675152e1.htm?s_cid=mm675152e1_w&c_cid=journal_search_promotion_2018
• CDC report, Opportunities to Prevent Overdose Deaths Involving Prescription and Illicit Opioids, 11 States, July 2016 – June 2017 Weekly / August 31, 2018 / 67(34);945–951, details overdose death rates by type of opioid and the presence and involvement of bystanders during an overdose. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6734a2.htm?s_cid=mm6734a2_w
• Public Health Reports journal article, Linking Opioid-Overdose Data to Human Services and Criminal Justice Data: Opportunities for Intervention, investigates the connections and intervention opportunities between opioid overdose, human services, and criminal justice data. https://www.naccho.org/uploads/downloadable-resources/57-R_3m7OXp9SjFhZYF00033354918803938.pdf
• Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project developed a Statistical Brief that presents data on inpatient stays involving mental and/or substance abuse disorders at community hospitals among patients aged 5 years or older, based on data from the 2016 National Inpatient Sample. https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb249-Mental-Substance-Use-Disorder-Hospital-Stays-2016.jsp?utm_source=ahrq&utm_medium=en-1&utm_term=Stats&utm_content=1&utm_campaign=ahrq_en4_2_2019