Improving the quality of VA care for patients with substance-use disorders- The Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) substance abuse module

Substance-use disorders are costly in both human and economic terms and are highly prevalent among patients in the VA Health Care System. The Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) Substance Abuse Module (SAM) seeks to enhance identification and management of patients with substance-use dis orders seen in primary care and other medical settings; bolster specialized substance-abuse treatment practices; improve care for patients with multip le comorbidities; and strengthen treatment for high-risk and underserved su bstance-abuse patient subgroups. This article describes how the SAM will ac hieve these aims by following the QUERI process steps and conducting an int egrated set of research projects that incorporates literature reviews and m eta-analyses, naturalistic and randomized controlled trials of promising tr eatments, studies of barriers to guideline implementation, and outcome-orie nted evaluations of the implementation of practice guidelines.