Substance use disorders and the evidence for technology-based tools and resources: A Content analysis.

Objectives: With increasing sophistication and access to Internet technology, there is a corresponding increase in web-based treatments for substance use disorders (SUD). The use of technology can also greatly increase the kinds and amount of data useful to researchers. Our objectives were to explore, collect and categorize the various presentations of evidence regarding technology-based tools and resources for SUD examining: how widespread are technology-based SUD treatments and the types of evidence available to support the use of technology.
How strong and complete is the literature base for technology-based treatment for SUD?

Methods: There is a gap in understanding and using the knowledge base around technology-based SUD treatment interventions. There are existing studies spanning this literature; however our study took a more in-depth review of a wider range of publications. We conducted a content analysis via systematic review methods using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, Ageline, PsycInfo, Rural Health Information Hub, WorldWideScience.org, ClinicalTrials.gov, Scopus and Web of Science. This process returned 3,222 references which were imported into Covidence for review. Removing 396 duplicates left 2,825 studies. Next, 2,102 irrelevant articles were excluded, leading to 720 full text reviews. This phase included interlibrary loans, interrater reliability, and conflict resolution strategies excluding 301 articles. Final results are based on the full-text review of 410 studies.

Results: The literature base is wider than ever before. There is evidence that technology can be used to deliver and augment treatment or recovery-based services; however more can be done to strengthen and organize the literature. Final results include a wide array of information such as article focus (research or conceptual); type of research (clinical trial, group experiment, single-subject, systematic reviews); and a summary of the included studies’ research questions, keywords and/or specific aims. We accomplished this via a mixture of charts, graphs, and images.

Conclusions: Technology has the ability to impact clinical implications/outcomes related to SUD. A significant variety of technology-based SUD tools and resources exist; however much of the recent literature struggles to use common definitions necessary for progress. Some products have existed for years and possess a substantial evidence base; however other research presented in final form is lacking typical components of published work related to methodology and efficacy. A variety of opportunities exist to expand or augment clinical services and research. Our presentation provides a methodologically rigorous and relevant synopsis. This information can be helpful to health science librarians by coalescing and parsing a diverse and complex area.