Can changing clinic policies and training doctors reduce stigma around addiction?
NCT ID NCT06200012
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether combining a policy change with professional training can reduce stigma toward substance use in mental health clinics. Twelve providers from two sites participated. The goal was to see if the combined approach improves how often substance use is addressed and how many patients start medication for opioid or alcohol use disorders.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Multi-level stigma reduction intervention (educational training plus policy change)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward effective ways to reduce stigma and improve access to substance use treatment in mental health clinics.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 12 providers, so results may not apply broadly. The intervention is behavioral and policy-based, so effects may be modest or hard to sustain.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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12 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2023
- Finished
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Feb 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Individuals must meet all of the inclusion criteria in order to be eligible to participate in the study. 1. Site inclusion: * The sites will be selected using convenience sampling. * The inclusion criterion will be sites with at least 4 providers. 2. Provider inclusion: * Providers at participating sites will also be recruited using convenience sampling. * Any psychiatrists or psychiatric NPs are eligible to participate as long as they are employed at the participating LSH site. 3. Patient EHR inclusion: * All new patients entering mental health services during the 3-months prior and 3- months after the intervention will be included in the EHR data sample to assess whether substance use was addressed during their first visit and subsequent 3-month retention in care. * Existing and new patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD)/opioid use disorder (OUD) will be identified through the EHR to assess pharmacotherapy initiation. 4. Patient survey inclusion: * Half of the survey sample (n=20) will include patients without a substance use disorder (SUD) documented in their chart at the time of data collection * The other half of the survey sample (n=20) will include patients who do have an ICD-10 code for SUD in their chart. * Patient stratification rationale: the intention is to compare experiences and perceptions of stigma among patients who have SUD noted in their EHR and those who do not. This is also to assess stigma among patients who may not have their substance use addressed during a MH visit but who have substance use related health risks and substance use disorders (assessed through the ASSIST questionnaire). Exclusion Criteria: All individuals meeting any of the exclusion criteria will be excluded from study participation. 1. Provider exclusion: * Providers may be excluded if they were not employed by LSH and seeing patients for the past three months at the time of enrollment. 2. Patient exclusion: * Patients may be excluded from the SUD-stratified portion of the survey sample if their SUD diagnosis is only for a tobacco use disorder. * Patients may also be excluded if they are unable or unwilling to give written informed consent. * Patients who are currently in jail, prison or other overnight facility as required by court of law or have pending legal action that could prevent participation in study activities will also be excluded.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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LifeStance Health
Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87106, United States
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