Selecting Appropriate Outcome Measures in Drug Dependence Treatment Research

The new issue of Addiction (vol 107(4)) features two articles (one by PN Node Lead Investigator Dennis Donovan) about a NIDA-sponsored meeting of a panel of experts (including CTN researchers and clinicians) who sat down together in 2011 to attempt to come up with recommendations for common primary and secondary outcome measures for drug dependence treatment clinical trials:

Donovan DM et al. Primary outcome indices in illicit drug dependence treatment research: Systematic approach to selection and measurement of drug use end-points in clinical trials. Addiction 2012;107(4):694-708.

Tiffany ST et al. Beyond drug use: A systematic consideration of other outcomes in evaluations of treatments for substance use disorders. Addiction 2012;107(4):709-718.

After the two articles, a series of commentary pieces, written by Frances Del Boca, Jack Darkes, Ambros Uchtenhagen, and Gerhard Buhringer, agreed that drug use by itself is an inadequate metric for gauging the impact of treatment, but had additional suggestions for outcome domains as well as questions about some of the recommendations made in the papers. Both Dr. Donovan and Dr. Tiffany respond.

Find all three pieces in the CTN Dissemination Library!