Budney A, Borodovsky J, Marsch L, Lord S. Technological Innovations in Addiction Treatment. In: Danovitch I, Mooney LJ eds. The Assessment and Treatment of Addiction: Best Practices and New Frontiers. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier; 2019:75-90. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-323-54856-4.00005-5
In this chapter, researchers reviewed the state-of-the-science for digital approaches to treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs), highlighting validated interventions and considerations for implementation. Technology has become increasingly ubiquitous, including among disadvantaged and hard-to-reach populations. Digital health technologies have the potential to address current gaps in treatment access and response, particularly for SUDs. A large and growing body of research indicates that technology-based interventions for SUDs can be as effective as clinician-delivered treatments, with effect sizes in the small to medium range. An emerging literature demonstrates mechanisms by which technology-based interventions function. Implementation science frameworks highlight considerations for implementation of digital SUD treatment including organizational and external contexts (e.g., compatibility with workflow, local access to technology), end-user characteristics (e.g., attitudes towards digital health, perceptions of optimal care), and intervention characteristics (e.g., relevance, strength of evidence). The authors conclude with research directions for digital SUD treatment, including a need to focus on both efficacy and implementation from the beginning of digital treatment development, improving scientific rigor and relevance to end-users, and identifying multilevel targeted implementation supports to promote integration within healthcare settings.