Research Questions

Opportunities for further research on Contingency Management for substance use disorder include how best to tailor Contingency Management to patients’ non-abstinence goals and how best to scale out and sustain CM in real-world settings.

Future research questions regarding contingency management (CM) may include:

  1. Developing and evaluating tailored CM protocols that align with diverse patient goals, such as incentivizing treatment attendance and substance use reduction rather than complete abstinence, to improve acceptability among both substance use treatment providers and patients.
  2. Investigating sustainable and affordable CM delivery models for implementation in usual care settings, including exploration of funding mechanisms, staffing models, and organizational structures that support long-term program viability.
  3. Evaluating scaling out strategies for CM implementation across different healthcare systems and geographic regions, building on recognition of CM's effectiveness and early state-level adoption efforts.
  4. Examining the comparative effectiveness and acceptability of different CM target behaviors (abstinence vs. treatment attendance vs. harm reduction goals) across various patient populations and treatment settings.