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Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) among people with HIV are both prevalent and problematic. The Substance Abuse Treatment to HIV care project was funded to test the Implementation and Sustainment Facilitation (ISF) strategy as an adjunct to the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) strategy for integrating a motivational interviewing-based brief intervention (MIBI) for SUDs within HIV community-based organizations. Methods: Using a cluster-randomized, type 2 hybrid trial design, 39 HIV organizations were randomized to either (1) ATTC ( n = 19) or (2) ATTC + ISF ( n = 20). Each HIV organization identified two staff members to be prepared to implement the MIBI ( N = 78). Subsequently, during the implementation phase, HIV organizations in each condition randomized client participants ( N = 824) to one of the two intervention conditions: usual care (UC; n = 415) or UC + MIBI ( n = 409). Both staff-level outcomes and client-level outcomes were examined. Results: The ISF strategy had a significant impact on the implementation effectiveness (i.e., the consistency and the quality of implementation; β = .65, p = .01) but not on time-to-proficiency (β = −.02) or level-of-sustainment (β = .09). In addition, the ISF strategy was found to have a significant impact on the intervention effectiveness (the effectiveness of the MIBI), at least in terms of significantly decreasing the odds (odds ratio = 0.11, p = .02) of clients using their primary substance daily during follow-up. Conclusion: The ISF strategy was found to be an effective adjunct to the ATTC strategy in terms of implementation effectiveness and intervention effectiveness. It is recommended that future efforts to integrate the project’s MIBI for SUD within HIV organizations use the ATTC + ISF strategy. However, given the ISF strategy did not have a significant impact on level-of-sustainment, implementation research testing the extent to which the ATTC + ISF strategy can be significantly enhanced through effective sustainment strategies is warranted. Plain language abstract Substance use among people living with HIV is associated with increased mental health problems, worse medication adherence, and worse HIV viral suppression. Increasing substance use-related services in HIV community-based organizations is an important public health need. The Substance Abuse Treatment to HIV care project tested two strategies for helping HIV organizations implement a brief intervention (BI) designed to motivate clients to decrease their substance use. The project also tested if receiving a BI improved clients’ outcome. Two staff from each of the 39 participating organizations were taught how to deliver the BI using the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) training strategy (online and in-person training, monthly feedback, and coaching). Half of the organizations also received the Implementation and Sustainment Facilitation (ISF) strategy, which included monthly meetings with an ISF coach for the two BI staff and one or more leadership staff from the organization. Organizations that received both the ATTC and ISF strategies delivered more BIs and higher quality BIs than organizations that only received the ATTC strategy. In addition, clients receiving BIs at organizations that received both strategies were more likely to decrease their substance use. However, receiving both strategies did not improve how quickly staff learned to deliver the BI or improve the number of BIs delivered during the project’s 6-month sustainment phase. Future research focused on implementing BIs within HIV organizations should consider using the ATTC and ISF strategies while also seeking to enhance the strategies to improve sustainment.

Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) in the United States cause many preventable deaths each year. Finding effective ways to manage SUDs is vital to improving outcomes for individuals seeking treatment. This has increased interest in using e-health technologies in behavioral healthcare settings. This research is part of a larger study evaluating the efficacy of the NIATx coaching intervention for implementing RISE Iowa, an e-health patient recovery app, in SUD treatment organizations and seeks to examine clinician perspectives of the barriers and facilitators to its implementation. Method: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 clinicians from 9 different intervention sites involved in the study. Results: Major barriers to implementing e-health technology include inability to access the technology, lack of time for both patients and clinicians, and a perceived lack of patient motivation to make changes. Facilitators to implementation include collaboration with other staff using e-health technology and integrating technology use into typical workflows. Conclusions: Implementation of e-health technology in SUD treatment will require integrating the technology into clinical workflows and improving patient access to the technology.

Background Improving the extent to which evidence-based practices (EBPs)—treatments that have been empirically shown to be efficacious or effective—are integrated within routine practice is a well-documented challenge across numerous areas of health. In 2014, the National Institute on Drug Abuse funded a type 2 effectiveness–implementation hybrid trial titled the substance abuse treatment to HIV Care (SAT2HIV) Project. Aim 1 of the SAT2HIV Project tests the effectiveness of a motivational interviewing-based brief intervention (MIBI) for substance use as an adjunct to usual care within AIDS service organizations (ASOs) as part of its MIBI Experiment. Aim 2 of the SAT2HIV Project tests the effectiveness of implementation and sustainment facilitation (ISF) as an adjunct to the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) model for training staff in motivational interviewing as part of its ISF Experiment. The current paper describes the study protocol for the ISF Experiment. Methods Using a cluster randomized design, case management and leadership staff from 39 ASOs across the United States were randomized to receive either the ATTC strategy (control condition) or the ATTC + ISF strategy (experimental condition). The ATTC strategy is staff-focused and includes 10 discrete strategies (e.g., provide centralized technical assistance, conduct educational meetings, provide ongoing consultation). The ISF strategy is organization-focused and includes seven discrete strategies (e.g., use an implementation advisor, organize implementation team meetings, conduct cyclical small tests of change). Building upon the exploration–preparation–implementation–sustainment (EPIS) framework, the effectiveness of the ISF strategy is examined via three staff-level measures: (1) time-to-proficiency (i.e., preparation phase outcome), (2) implementation effectiveness (i.e., implementation phase outcome), and (3) level of sustainment (i.e., sustainment phase outcome). Discussion Although not without limitations, the ISF experiment has several strengths: a highly rigorous design (randomized, hypothesis-driven), high-need setting (ASOs), large sample size (39 ASOs), large geographic representation (23 states and the District of Columbia), and testing along multiple phases of the EPIS continuum (preparation, implementation, and sustainment). Thus, study findings will significantly improve generalizable knowledge regarding the best preparation, implementation, and sustainment strategies for advancing EBPs along the EPIS continuum. Moreover, increasing ASO’s capacity to address substance use may improve the HIV Care Continuum. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03120598.

Local governments play an important role in improving substance abuse and mental health services. The structure of the local learning collaborative requires careful attention to old relationships and challenges local governmental leaders to help move participants from a competitive to collaborative environment. This study describes one county's experience applying the NIATx process improvement model via a local learning collaborative. Local substance abuse and mental health agencies participated in two local learning collaboratives designed to improve client retention in substance abuse treatment and client access to mental health services. Results of changes implemented at the provider level on access and retention are outlined. The process of implementing evidence-based practices by using the Plan-Do-Study-Act rapid-cycle change is a powerful combination for change at the local level. Key lessons include: creating a clear plan and shared vision, recognizing that one size does not fit all, using data can help fuel participant engagement, a long collaborative may benefit from breaking it into smaller segments, and paying providers to offset costs of participation enhances their engagement. The experience gained in Onondaga County, New York, offers insights that serve as a foundation for using the local learning collaborative in other community-based organizations.