Best practice portal – evidence database

This database gives you access to the latest evidence on drug-related interventions. The information is based on systematic searches is updated regularly. To get started use the search boxes below. Click here for more information about the Evidence database (including methods).

Title Area Evidence rating Substance Target group(s)
Adjunctive formal psychotherapy to contingency management (CM) to improve outcomes
Treatment Unknown effectiveness not-drug specific
Administration of naloxone to prevent opioid overdose (intranasal/intramuscular)
Harm reduction Beneficial opioids PWID – people who inject drugs
Alpha2-adrenergic agonists for the management of opioid withdrawal
Treatment Likely to be beneficial opioids
Anti-alcohol/cannabis community interventions
Prevention Unknown effectiveness alcohol
cannabis 		communities
PWID – people who inject drugs
Anti-tobacco mass-media campaigns in combination with school programmes
Prevention Unknown effectiveness tobacco school
young people
Anti-tobacco multi-component community interventions
Prevention Likely to be beneficial tobacco communities
Antipsychotic treatment for schizophrenia and substance use disorders
Treatment Likely to be beneficial
Assertive community treatment (ACT) for substance use disorders
Treatment Unknown effectiveness alcohol
co-morbidity
not-drug specific
amphetamines
cannabis
cocaine
new psychoactive substances (NPS)
opioids
prescription medicines
tobacco 		communities
dual-diagnosis patients
emergency department
ethnic minority
families
law enforcement
pregnant women
PWID – people who inject drugs
school
women
prison
young people
partygoers/nightlife
Availability of take-home naloxone (THN) to increase opioid use
Harm reduction Evidence of ineffectiveness opioids PWID – people who inject drugs
Behavioural activation (BA) interventions to reduce substance use and depressive symptoms
Treatment Unknown effectiveness co-morbidity dual-diagnosis patients
Behavioural harm reduction interventions to reduce HIV risk outcomes in crack/cocaine users
Harm reduction Unknown effectiveness cocaine
Behavioural therapies to reduce use in adolescents
Treatment Likely to be beneficial not-drug specific young people
Behavioural therapy for eating and substance use disorders
Treatment Likely to be beneficial co-morbidity dual-diagnosis patients
Booster sessions
Prevention Unknown effectiveness not-drug specific school
Brief interventions delivered in general medical settings to reduce use and harms
Treatment Unknown effectiveness alcohol
cannabis
Brief interventions in patients with comorbid substance use
Treatment Unknown effectiveness co-morbidity
Brief interventions to improve treatment outcomes in young cannabis users
Treatment Unknown effectiveness cannabis young people
Brief interventions to reduce alcohol use
Treatment Likely to be beneficial
Brief interventions to reduce benzodiazepine use
Treatment Unknown effectiveness prescription medicines
Brief interventions to reduce cannabis use in healthcare settings
Treatment Unknown effectiveness cannabis
Buprenorphine substitution to retain patients in treatment
Treatment Beneficial opioids
Buprenorphine vs methadone for opioid assisted withdrawal
Treatment Beneficial opioids
Buprenorphine vs methadone substitution to retain patients in treatment
Treatment Beneficial opioids
Case management to improve treatment outcomes
Treatment Likely to be beneficial not-drug specific
Cognitive behavioural therapy plus tapered doses versus tapered doses only to reduce benzodiazepine use in the long-term
Treatment Unknown effectiveness prescription medicines
Cognitive behavioural therapy plus tapered doses versus tapered doses only to reduce benzodiazepine use in the short-term
Treatment Likely to be beneficial prescription medicines
Cognitive-behavioural treatment (CBT) to reduce stimulant use
Treatment Unknown effectiveness amphetamines
cocaine
Combined cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy to improve treatment outcomes
Treatment Beneficial not-drug specific
Combined enforcement checks and management training to reduce under-age serving
Prevention Likely to be beneficial alcohol law enforcement
partygoers/nightlife
Combined opioid substitution treatment (OST) and needle and syringe programmes (NSP) to prevent HCV (and HIV) infection and reduce injecting risk behaviours
Harm reduction Beneficial opioids PWID – people who inject drugs
Communities That Care (CTC) approach to prevent use and reduce youth problematic behaviours
Prevention Likely to be beneficial not-drug specific communities
Community interventions to reduce harms from alcohol and other drug use
Prevention Unknown effectiveness alcohol
not-drug specific
cannabis 		communities
Community interventions to reduce risky drinking
Prevention Likely to be beneficial alcohol
not-drug specific 		communities
Comparing buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone in reducing the relapse and harm for people with opioid addiction
Harm reduction, Treatment Beneficial opioids
Comprehensive community-based programmes targeting high-risk youth
Prevention Beneficial alcohol
not-drug specific
cannabis
tobacco 		communities
school
young people
Comprehensive family-oriented prevention for cannabis use
Prevention Likely to be beneficial cannabis families
young people
Compulsory drug treatment to reduce recidivism
Treatment Evidence of ineffectiveness not-drug specific
Computer-based interventions to reduce recreational drug use
Prevention Likely to be beneficial not-drug specific young people
Computer-based treatment programs to improve mental health and treatment outcomes
Treatment Likely to be beneficial co-morbidity dual-diagnosis patients
Contingency management for improving adherence to antiretroviral therapy
Treatment Likely to be beneficial PWID – people who inject drugs
Contingency management for patients with psychotic and substance use disorders
Treatment Likely to be beneficial not-drug specific dual-diagnosis patients
Contingency management to improve treatment outcomes in opioid users
Treatment Likely to be beneficial cannabis
opioids
Contingency management to reduce cannabis use for patients with comorbidities
Treatment Unknown effectiveness co-morbidity
Contingency management to reduce stimulant use
Treatment Beneficial amphetamines
cocaine
Continuing care to improve treatment outcomes
Treatment Likely to be beneficial not-drug specific
Continuity of care to improve post-release behavioural outcomes
Treatment Likely to be beneficial not-drug specific prison
Continuity of opioid substitution treatment (OST) from prison to community to reduce post-release mortality
Harm reduction Beneficial opioids prison
Cost-effectiveness of opioid substitution treatment (OST)
Treatment Beneficial opioids
Culturally sensitive prevention programs for substance use
Treatment Likely to be beneficial school
young people
Culturally sensitive substance use treatment for racial/ethnic minority youth to reduce use
Treatment Unknown effectiveness not-drug specific ethnic minority
young people

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