Information technology and addiction science: promises and challenges

TY - JOUR

T1 - Information technology and addiction science

T2 - promises and challenges

AU - Bertholet, Nicolas

AU - Cunningham, John A

N1 - Funding Information: The authors would like to thank Alexandra Godinho and Christina Schell. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - BACKGROUND: Information technology can be used to advance addiction science and clinical practice.MAIN BODY: This special issue, "Information technology (IT) interventions to advance treatment for opioid and other addictions" presents studies that expand our understanding of IT intervention efficacy, patients' perspectives, and how IT can be used to improve substance use health care and research. This editorial introduces the topics addressed in the special issue and focuses on some of the challenges that the field is currently facing, such as attrition and treatment retention, transferability of intervention paradigms, and the challenge to keep pace with rapidly changing technologies.CONCLUSIONS: Increasing treatment reach is particularly crucial in the addiction field. IT empowers researchers and clinicians to reach large portions of the population who might not otherwise access standard treatment modalities, because of geographical limitations, logistical constraints, stigma, or other reasons. The use of information technology may help reduce the substance use treatment gap and contribute to public health efforts to diminish the impact of substance use and other addictive behaviors on population health.

AB - BACKGROUND: Information technology can be used to advance addiction science and clinical practice.MAIN BODY: This special issue, "Information technology (IT) interventions to advance treatment for opioid and other addictions" presents studies that expand our understanding of IT intervention efficacy, patients' perspectives, and how IT can be used to improve substance use health care and research. This editorial introduces the topics addressed in the special issue and focuses on some of the challenges that the field is currently facing, such as attrition and treatment retention, transferability of intervention paradigms, and the challenge to keep pace with rapidly changing technologies.CONCLUSIONS: Increasing treatment reach is particularly crucial in the addiction field. IT empowers researchers and clinicians to reach large portions of the population who might not otherwise access standard treatment modalities, because of geographical limitations, logistical constraints, stigma, or other reasons. The use of information technology may help reduce the substance use treatment gap and contribute to public health efforts to diminish the impact of substance use and other addictive behaviors on population health.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85099821949&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1186/s13722-021-00216-y

DO - 10.1186/s13722-021-00216-y

M3 - Article

C2 - 33499925

SN - 1940-0632

VL - 16

SP - 7

JO - Addiction Science & Clinical Practice

JF - Addiction Science & Clinical Practice

IS - 1

M1 - 7

ER -