Implementation Science in Addiction Treatment: Bridging the Research-Practice Gap

Despite significant advances in addiction science, a persistent and critical challenge remains: the vast chasm between the development of effective, evidence-based interventions for Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Addictions and their routine implementation in real-world clinical and community settings. This "know-do gap" hinders patient access to optimal care, perpetuates health disparities, and ultimately limits the impact of scientific discoveries.

This Research Topic aims to address this challenge by focusing on Implementation Science in Addiction Treatment. We invite submissions that rigorously investigate the processes, mechanisms, and contextual factors influencing the adoption, effective delivery, and sustainment of evidence-based practices (EBPs) across the full spectrum of addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery.

We aim to bring together cutting-edge research that moves beyond simply identifying effective interventions, but to understand how to translate them into practice, where they work best, and for whom. We encourage contributions that highlight successful implementation strategies, pinpoint persistent barriers, and offer actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers alike.

We welcome articles exploring, but not limited to, the following key areas:

• Pharmacotherapy Development: Investigations (i.e., research studies or review manuscripts) into ways to improve the implementation of new addiction medications, anywhere along the drug development pipeline: from drug discovery to clinical trials, FDA review, and market surveillance.

• Implementation Strategies: Developing, testing, and evaluating novel or adapted strategies to facilitate the uptake, fidelity, and sustainment of EBPs in diverse addiction care settings.

• Determinants of Implementation: Identifying multi-level barriers and facilitators (e.g., patient, provider, organizational, policy, funding, community) to successful EBP implementation.

• Implementation Outcomes: Measuring and analyzing key outcomes such as acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, feasibility, fidelity, and sustainment of addiction interventions.

• Theoretical Applications: Innovative application and empirical testing of implementation science theories, models, and frameworks within the addiction context.

• De-implementation: Research on identifying and disinvesting from ineffective, inefficient, or harmful practices currently used in addiction treatment.

• Health Equity & Dissemination: Strategies for equitable implementation of EBPs, addressing disparities in access and outcomes, and reaching underserved populations.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Research on effective methods for engaging persons with lived experience, patients, families, providers, administrators, community leaders, and policymakers in the implementation process.

• Innovative Methodologies: Application of advanced analytics, mixed methods approaches, big data, and technology to study and improve implementation processes.

By advancing the field of implementation science in addiction treatment, this Research Topic seeks to bridge the critical divide between research and practice, enhancing the quality, accessibility, and impact of care for individuals and communities affected by Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Addictions.

The Editors declare collaborative research or grants with Spark Biomedical, Mayo Clinic, Harvard University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Columbia University Medical Center.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: implementation science, addiction treatment

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.