These research roadmaps, recently released by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (SAPRP), attempt to identify effective policies and highlight the major tobacco, drug and alcohol abuse treatment questions that must be explored during the next five years.

From the report:

Some of the most vexing issues surround the need to maintain patient confidentiality in the context of more efficient information systems that rely on electronic record systems and other health information technologies. Federal regulations (CFR 42 Part 2; Code of Federal Regulations for the confidentiality of alcohol and drug abuse patient records), authorized and implemented in the 1970s, counteracted the stigma associated with addiction treatment and protected women and men seeking recovery from unnecessary disclosure of their treatment participation. The confidentiality regulations facilitated widespread patient acceptance of the safety of addiction treatment. In the 21st century health care system, however, the regulations appear to pose a barrier to integrated electronic health records. Confidentiality regulations inhibit communication and coordinated/integrated care between addiction treatment services and health care services. Inclusion of addiction diagnoses and treatment in electronic health records may expose the medical record to the federal confidentiality regulations and inhibit sharing of medical information. This risk is inhibiting structural changes in the organization and delivery of care. Legal analysis and policy assessments are needed to prepare addiction treatment services for better integration with health care.

Full report: Substance Abuse Policy Research Program Releases Five-Year Research Roadmap (PDF | 206.44 KB)

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2009). Policies for the treatment of alcohol and drug use disorders: A research agenda for 2010-1015. Mccarty, D., Mcconnell, K.J., and Schmidt, L.