This special supplement features overview articles describing the completed studies and outcomes from the past decade of CTN research. It also reviews several ancillary investigations, where data from original CTN protocols is examined in a new way to reveal new correlations and propose future research.
Five articles in the issue are
co-authored by researchers and clinicians from the Pacific Northwest
node of the CTN, where the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute serves as the Regional Research Training Center (RRTC):
Ron Jackson, from Evergreen Treatment Services, cowrote “The First Decade of the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network: Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice to Improve Drug Abuse Treatment,” which reviews the rationale for the CTN, describes the translation of its guiding principles into research endeavors, and anticipates the future evolution of clinical research within the Network.
In “Study Results from the Clinical Trial Network’s First 10 Years: Where Do They Lead?” Elizabeth (Betsy) Wells, Don Calsyn and Dennis Donovan from ADAI, Andrew Saxon from the VA Puget Sound, and Ron Jackson from Evergreen Treatment Services, review the completed (to date) protocols in the CTN with the aim of identifying the incremental progress toward improving drug treatment made by these trials.
“From Research to the Real World: Buprenorphine in the Decade of the Clinical Trials Network,” was co-written by Andrew Saxon of the VA Puget Sound, and reviews the 6 CTN buprenorphine protocols (CTN-0001/2, 0003, 0010, 0027, 0030), describing related efforts to overcome challenges to the implementation of buprenorphine therapy in mainstream practice.
Jessica DiCenzo from Recovery Centers of King County, a PN Node CTP, was co-author for “Predicting Outpatient Treatment Entry Following Detoxification for Injection Drug Use: The Impact of Patient and Program Factors.” This secondary analysis of data from CTN-0017 examined variables predicting outpatient treatment entry within six months of residential detoxification.
And finally, Don Calsyn from ADAI co-authored “Multisite Effectiveness Trials of Treatments for Substance Abuse and Co-Occurring Problems: Have We Chosen the Best Designs?“ This article systematically examines, for each of the completed CTN protocols, the experimental design type chosen and its original rationale, the main findings of the trials, and the strengths and weaknesses of the design in hindsight.
Congratulations to all our Pacific Northwest Node authors!
Find these articles and all the others from the JSAT special supplement in the CTN Dissemination Library.
