Implementation of Contingency Management in Drug and Alcohol Services
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Translating Research into Practice: An Investigation into the Translation, Adaption and Implementation of Contingency Management into Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services in England
IRAS ID
347396
Contact name
Tim Weaver
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Middlesex University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
24899, Middlesex Research Ethics Committee (Phase 1); 27904, Middlesex Research Ethics Committee (Phase 2)
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 1 days
Research summary
Psycho-social interventions are a mainstay of treatment for problematic substance use. Current UK clinical guidelines recommend they should always be used alongside medical treatments like opiate agonist treatment (OAT). An evidence based intervention supported by the guidelines is Contingency Management (CM). CM is a behavioural intervention which ‘rewards’ people when they meet an agreed target behaviour. For example; attending an appointment, or providing a substance-free urine sample. The reward – known as ‘positive reinforcement’ - is usually financial (e.g. a voucher or cash) coupled with praise. In this way CM can encourage changes in behaviour that support people's recovery.
However, despite good evidence that CM works, guidance encouraging its use, and examples of innovative practice, it is unclear how treatment services have implemented this evidence-based intervention in England.
The study will investigate the implementation of CM, exploring the organisational, professional and contextual factors that affect implementation.This PhD research, funded by the Society for the Study of Addiction will draw on theories and research methods designed to study health service implementation (Implementation Science). These approaches have been under-employed in the Addictions field.
The study has two phases:
Phase 1: A National Survey of the Implementation of CM in England
This will involve a national survey of treatment services to establish how many services are using CM and in what form.Phase 2: A Case Study Investigation of the Implementation of CM in England
Case studies in services where there is experience of delivering a CM programme. Focus groups with services users and clinicians will be carried out and interviews with service managers, senior staff and commissioners. These methods will explore the factors influencing the implementation of CM. This will provide a new perspective on implementation and help better understand how services (working effectively with commissioners) can improve the implementation of CM in England.REC name
East of England - Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/EE/0199
Date of REC Opinion
21 Aug 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion