Evidence for Practice

Even the most brilliant discoveries cannot improve patient outcomes until they are implemented in practice. AHRQ turns research into practice. The first step is establishing the evidence for what works.

USPSTF Recommendation Statements

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is an independent, volunteer panel of national experts in disease prevention and evidence-based medicine. USPSTF Recommendation Statements related to substance use disorders include:

• Counseling for Illicit Drug Use Prevention in Children/Adolescents.
• Unhealthy Drug Use: Screening.

The USPSTF has also posted a Technical Brief on Primary Care-Related Interventions to Prevent Opioid Use Disorder: Current Research and Evidence Gaps.

Evidence Reviews

AHRQ's Evidence Based Practice Center Program reviews provide the foundation for guidelines, policy, and coverage decisions for pain management, appropriate opioid use, and prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder.

• Pharmacotherapy for Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder in Outpatient Settings—Update (2023)
• Living Systematic Review on Cannabis and Other Plant-Based Treatments for Chronic Pain—Update (2023)
• Acute Treatments for Episodic Migraine—Update (2022)
• Noninvasive Nonpharmacological Treatment for Chronic Pain—Update (2022)
• Treatments for Acute Pain—Update (2022)
• Nonoioid Pharmacologic Treatments for Chronic Pain—Update (2022)
• Opioid Treatments for Chronic Pain—Update (2022)
• Interventional Treatments for Acute and Chronic Pain (2021)
• Cannabis and Other Plant-Based Treatments for Chronic Pain (2021)
• Care Coordination and Care Plans for Transitions Across Care Settings (2021)
• Treatments and Technologies Supporting Appropriate Opioid Tapers (2021)
• Treatments, Technologies, and Models for Management of Acute and Chronic Pain in Persons With a History of Substance Use Disorder (2021)
• Integrated and Comprehensive Pain Management Programs (2021)
• Retention Strategies for MAT in Opioid Use Disorder (2020)
• Treatments for Acute Pain (2020)
• Treatment of Acute Episodic Migraine (2020)
• Opioid Treatments for Chronic Pain (2020)
• Nonopioid Pharmacologic Treatments for Chronic Pain (2020)
• Noninvasive Nonpharmacological Treatments for Chronic Pain (2020)
• Interventions for Substance Abuse Treatment in Adolescents (2020)
• Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management of Opioids, Opioid Misuse and Opioid Use Disorder in Older Adults (2020)
• Acute Pain Management by EMS in the Prehospital Setting (2019)
• Management of Suspected Opioid Overdose with Naloxone by Emergency Medical Services Personnel (2017)
• Medication-Assisted Treatment Models of Care for Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care Setting (2016)

Patient Safety Primer on Opioids

The Patient Safety Network (PSNet) has published a Patient Safety Primer on Opioids. The Opioids Guide covers the origins of the opioid epidemic and interventions to improve opioid safety. This is part of a series of guides for key topics in patient safety through context, epidemiology, and relevant AHRQ PSNet content.