Interactive voice response for relapse prevention following cognitive-behavioral therapy for alcohol use disorders: a pilot study

Patients' perceptions of post-treatment factors that influenced skill use after cognitive-behavioral therapy for bulimia nervosa spectrum disorders

OBJECTIVE

Deterioration rate among patients with bulimia-spectrum eating disorders (BN-EDs) after receiving enhanced cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT-E) remains high. Previous studies identified body image concerns, environmental triggers, lack of social support, lack of resources, comorbidity, and discontinued skill use as predictors of deterioration. However, no studies have qualitatively explored patients' perceptions of how these factors influenced their skill use and led to deterioration after receiving outpatient CBT.

METHODS

This study aimed to qualitatively explore (1) what post-treatment factors patients believe contributed to deterioration, and (2) whether patients continued to practice the CBT skills they learned from treatment and identify motivators and barriers to post-treatment skill use. Twelve participants who had previously completed 16 sessions of CBT for their BN-EDs and experienced at least modest treatment responses participated in the qualitative interviews.

RESULTS

Four themes were identified from the qualitative interviews. Post-treatment deterioration was primarily driven by decreased skill use due to a perceived sudden loss of accountability and continued body dissatisfaction after treatment ended. Discontinued practice of binge analysis led to decreased awareness of the relationship between poor skill use and ED behaviors. Difficulty accessing resources impeded participants from receiving external help to address challenges in skill practice, thus also contributing to deterioration.

DISCUSSION

Findings suggested that outpatient treatment for BN-EDs patients should emphasize more on body image concern, and deterioration prevention for outpatient CBT-E should focus on building self-accountability to keep practicing skills after treatment ends.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE

This study was the first to qualitatively explore post-treatment factors influencing skill use and deterioration in patients with bulimia-spectrum eating disorders after they completed outpatient CBT. Findings indicated that decreased skill use was a primary driver of post-treatment deterioration, and that relapse prevention for outpatient CBT for BN-EDs should focus on enhancing patients' self-accountability to continue practicing therapeutic skills independently after treatment ended.

Breathalyser-Based eHealth Data Suggest That Self-Reporting of Abstinence Is a Poor Outcome Measure for Alcohol Use Disorder Clinical Trials

AIMS

To evaluate the efficacy and monitoring capabilities of a breathalyser-based eHealth system for patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and to investigate the quality and validity of timeline follow-back (TLFB) as outcome measure in clinical trials and treatment.

METHODS

Patients (n = 115) were recruited to clinical trials from a 12-step aftercare programme (12S-ABS) and from hospital care with abstinence (HC-ABS) or controlled drinking (HC-CDR) as goal and randomly divided into an eHealth and a control group. The effect of the eHealth system was analysed with TLFB-derived primary outcomes-change in number of abstinent days (AbsDay) and heavy drinking days (HDDs) compared to baseline-and phosphatidyl ethanol (PEth) measurements. Validity and quality of TLFB were evaluated by comparison with breath alcohol content (BrAC) and eHealth digital biomarkers (DBs): Addiction Monitoring Index (AMI) and Maximum Time Between Tests (MTBT). TLFB reports were compared to eHealth data regarding reported abstinence.

RESULTS

The primary outcome (TLFB) showed no significant difference between eHealth and control groups, but PEth did show a significant difference especially at months 2 and 3. Self-reported daily abstinence suffered from severe quality issues: of the 28-day TLFB reports showing full abstinence eHealth data falsified 34% (BrAC measurements), 39% (MTBT), 54% (AMI) and 68% (BrAC/MTBT/AMI). 12S-ABS and HC-ABS patients showed severe under-reporting.

CONCLUSIONS

No effect of the eHealth system was measured with TLFB, but a small positive effect was measured with PEth. The eHealth system revealed severe quality problems with TLFB, especially regarding abstinence-should measurement-based eHealth data replace TLFB as outcome measure for AUD?

Measures of Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Quality of Telemedicine in the Management of Alcohol Abuse, Addiction, and Rehabilitation: Systematic Review

Background

More than 18 million Americans are currently suffering from alcohol use disorder (AUD): a compulsive behavior of alcohol use as a result of a chronic, relapsing brain disease. With alcohol-related injuries being one of the leading causes of preventable deaths, there is a dire need to find ways to assist those suffering from alcohol dependence. There still exists a gap in knowledge as to the potential of telemedicine in improving health outcomes for those patients suffering from AUD.

Objective

The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the measures of effectiveness, efficiency, and quality that result from the utilization of telemedicine in the management of alcohol abuse, addiction, and rehabilitation.

Methods

This review was conducted utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The articles used in this analysis were gathered using keywords inclusive of both telemedicine and alcohol abuse, which were then searched in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane, and MEDLINE (PubMed) databases. A total of 22 articles were chosen for analysis.

Results

The results indicated that telemedicine reduced alcohol consumption. Other common outcomes included reduced depression (4/35, 11%), increased patient satisfaction (3/35, 9%), increase in accessibility (3/35, 9%), increased quality of life (2/35, 6%), and decreased cost (1/35, 3%). Interventions included mobile health (11/22, 50%), electronic health (6/22, 27%), telephone (3/33, 14%), and 2-way video (2/22, 9%). Studies were conducted in 3 regions: the United States (13/22, 59%), the European Union (8/22, 36%), and Australia (1/22, 5%).

Conclusions

Telemedicine was found to be an effective tool in reducing alcohol consumption and increasing patients’ accessibility to health care services or health providers. The group of articles for analysis suggested that telemedicine may be effective in reducing health care costs and improving the patient’s quality of life. Although telemedicine shows promise as an effective way to manage alcohol-related disorders, it should be further investigated before implementation.

The impact of rurality on opioid-related harms: A systematic review of qualitative research

INTRODUCTION

Over the past decade, there has been mounting recognition that opioid use and related mortality and morbidity is a significant public health problem in rural, non-urban areas across the globe. Taking what has been termed the 'opioid crisis' as a starting off point, this article aims to systematically review the qualitative literature on the ways in which rurality shapes the risk for opioid-related harm.

METHODS

A systematic review was undertaken using database searches and secondary reference list searches for qualitative literature on rural and non-urban opioid-related harms. A total of 32 qualitative studies met the inclusion criteria. Data extraction was performed in NVivo 12 using a codebook based on the 'risk environment' framework.

RESULTS

The findings explore how rurality shapes the risk environment for opioid-related harms through four environment influences: (1) economic conditions, including economic transition and deindustrialisation that has occurred in many rural areas, and the high levels of economic distress experienced by rural residents; (2) physical conditions, including a lack of infrastructure and recreation opportunities, larger geographic distances, and limited transportation; (3) social conditions, where social networks could be both protective but also amplify risk through a lack of knowledge about treatment and risk behaviours, a lack of anonymity and stigmatisation of people who use opioids in rural areas; and (4) policy conditions including limited coverage and availability of harm reduction and drug treatment services, and stigmatising service provider practices.

CONCLUSIONS

The impact of rurality on risk of opioid-related harm is multifaceted. We suggest that future research on rural opioid use would benefit from drawing on the theoretical toolkit of rural criminology to attend to the ways the 'rural crisis', and attendant insecurities, anxieties and strains, impacts upon rural communities and shapes risk, along with how socio-cultural characteristics of the rural 'organise' risks of drug use.

Common themes and emerging trends for the use of technology to support mental health and psychosocial well-being in limited resource settings: A review of the literature

There are significant disparities in access to mental health care. With the burgeoning of technologies for health, digital tools have been leveraged within mental health and psychosocial support programming (eMental health). A review of the literature was conducted to understand and identify how eMental health has been used in resource-limited settings in general. PubMed, Ovid Medline and Web of Science were searched. Six-hundred and thirty full-text articles were identified and assessed for eligibility; of those, 67 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. The most common mental health use cases were for depression (n = 25) and general mental health and well-being (n = 21). Roughly one-third used a website or Internet-enabled intervention (n = 23) and nearly one-third used an SMS intervention (n = 22). Technology was applied to enhance service delivery (n = 32), behavior change communication (n = 26) and data collection (n = 8), and specifically dealt with adherence (n = 7), ecological momentary assessments (n = 7), well-being promotion (n = 5), education (n = 8), telemedicine (n = 28), machine learning (n = 5) and games (n = 2). Emerging trends identified wearables, predictive analytics, robots and virtual reality as promising areas. eMental health interventions that leverage low-tech tools can introduce, strengthen and expand mental health and psychosocial support services and can be a starting point for future, advanced tools.

Pediatrician Attitudes toward Digital Voice Assistant Technology Use in Clinical Practice

OBJECTIVE

Digital voice assistant technology provides unique opportunities to enhance clinical practice. We aimed to understand factors influencing pediatric providers' current and potential use of this technology in clinical practice.

METHODS

We surveyed pediatric providers regarding current use and interest in voice technology in the workplace. Regression analyses evaluated provider characteristics associated with voice technology use. Among respondents not interested in voice technology, we elicited individual concerns.

RESULTS

Among 114 respondents, 19 (16.7%) indicated current use of voice technology in clinical practice, and 51 (44.7%) indicated use of voice technology for nonclinical purposes. Fifty-four (47.4%) reported willingness to try digital voice assistant technology in the clinical setting. Providers who had longer clinic visits (odds ratio [OR], 3.11, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04, 9.33, p = 0.04), fewer patient encounters per day (p = 0.02), and worked in hospital-based practices (OR, 2.95, 95% CI, 1.08, 8.07, p = 0.03) were more likely to currently use voice technology in the office. Younger providers (p = 0.02) and those confident in the accuracy of voice technology (OR, 3.05, 95% CI, 1.38, 6.74, p = 0.005) were more willing to trial digital voice assistants in the clinical setting. Among respondents unwilling or unsure about trying voice assistant technology, the most common reasons elicited were concerns related to its accuracy (35%), efficiency (33%), and privacy (28%).

CONCLUSION

This national survey evaluating use and attitudes toward digital voice assistant technology by pediatric providers found that while only one-eighth of pediatric providers currently use digital voice assistant technology in the clinical setting, almost half are interested in trying it in the future. Younger provider age and confidence in the accuracy of voice technology are associated with provider interest in using voice technology in the clinical setting. Future development of voice technology for clinical use will need to consider accuracy of information, efficiency of use, and patient privacy for successful integration into the workplace.

A randomized clinical trial of the Recovery Line among methadone treatment patients with ongoing illicit drug use

BACKGROUND

Relapse, drug use, and treatment dropout are common challenges facing patients receiving methadone. Though effective, multiple barriers to face-to-face counseling exist. The Recovery Line (RL), an automated, self-management system based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, is a phone-based adjunctive treatment that provides low cost, consistent delivery and immediate therapeutic availability 24 h a day.

METHODS

The current study was a 12-week randomized clinical efficacy trial of treatment-as-usual (TAU) only or RL + TAU for methadone treatment patients with continued illicit drug use (N = 82). Previous small trial phases evaluated methods to increase participant engagement and use of the RL and were incorporated into the current RL version. Primary outcomes were days of self-reported illicit drug abstinence and urine screens negative for illicit drugs.

RESULTS

Days of self-reported illicit drug abstinence improved for patients in RL + TAU but not in TAU. Percent of urine screens negative for illicit drugs, coping skills efficacy, and retention in methadone treatment did not differ by condition. Patients in RL + TAU attended more substance use disorder treatment and self-help group sessions during treatment than those in TAU. RL system use was generally low and more system use was correlated with abstinence outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the RL did not impact urine screen outcomes, it increases self-reported abstinence. Additional methods to increase patient engagement with automated, self-management systems for substance use disorder are needed.

Utilization, receptivity and reactivity to Interactive Voice Response daily monitoring in risky drinking smokers who are motivated to quit

INTRODUCTION

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology has become an increasingly popular and valid method for collecting Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) data on a variety of health-risk behaviors, including daily alcohol use and cigarette smoking, and for stimulating behavior change. However, very little research has evaluated the parameters of IVR compliance and reactivity in respondents who may have greater problem severity than samples previously examined in published IVR studies. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of use, receptivity and reactivity to IVR monitoring in 77 untreated risky drinking smokers who were motivated to quit within the next 6 months.

METHODS

Respondents completed twice daily IVR assessments for 28 days and were re-assessed immediately after IVR to measure receptivity and reactivity to daily monitoring and six months post-baseline.

RESULTS

Mean compliance rate was 70.6%, with a morning rate of 72.4% and an evening compliance rate of 68.9% out of all possible surveys. IVR assessments of drinking and smoking were significantly associated with baseline paper-pencil reports of the same. African-American participants and those who reported more daily stressful events were more compliant. Between the baseline session and the 6-month follow-up, 68% of the sample reported engaging in some form of smoking behavior change (50% reduction in CPD, a quit attempt, past-month continuous abstinence). Nearly 80% reported increased awareness of their behavior due to the IVR and 40% reported intentional behavior change from IVR monitoring. The odds of making a quit attempt at the 6-month follow-up were significantly higher among respondents who reported making purposeful changes to their smoking as a result of IVR monitoring (AOR=3.25, p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Reactivity was associated with behavior change outcomes. IVR may be a useful tool for motivating behavior change in smokers with alcohol-use problems.

Novel approaches to alcohol rehabilitation: Modification of stress-responsive brain regions through environmental enrichment

Relapse remains the most prominent hurdle to successful rehabilitation from alcoholism. The neural mechanisms underlying relapse are complex, but our understanding of the brain regions involved, the anatomical circuitry and the modulation of specific nuclei in the context of stress and cue-induced relapse have improved significantly in recent years. In particular, stress is now recognised as a significant trigger for relapse, adding to the well-established impact of chronic stress to escalate alcohol consumption. It is therefore unsurprising that the stress-responsive regions of the brain have also been implicated in alcohol relapse, such as the nucleus accumbens, amygdala and the hypothalamus. Environmental enrichment is a robust experimental paradigm which provides a non-pharmacological tool to alter stress response and, separately, alcohol-seeking behaviour and symptoms of withdrawal. In this review, we examine and consolidate the preclinical evidence that alcohol seeking behaviour and stress-induced relapse are modulated by environmental enrichment, and these are primarily mediated by modification of neural activity within the key nodes of the addiction circuitry. Finally, we discuss the limited clinical evidence that stress-reducing approaches such as mindfulness could potentially serve as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of alcoholism. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled "Neurobiology of Environmental Enrichment".

Customized recommendations and reminder text messages for automated, computer-based treatment during methadone

The Recovery Line is an automated, computer-based intervention based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) designed to provide real-time assistance by phone for patients in methadone maintenance. Preliminary efficacy findings were promising, however, as with other computer-based systems for substance use disorder, patient system use was less than recommended. Development and evaluation of system functions to increase patient engagement and use is needed. Thus, we conducted two randomized trials to evaluate system functions designed to increase patient use of the Recovery Line among methadone-maintained patients with continued illicit drug use. In Trial 1 (n = 60), patients received customized, system use recommendations or no recommendations on each Recovery Line call. Ratings of system usability were higher for customized recommendations (CR), but number of calls and total call time did not differ by condition. Trial 2 evaluated characteristics of reminder messages (message frame and reminder latency). Participants (N = 67) received gain- and loss-frame reminder messages, and were randomly assigned to immediate, short, or long term message latency. Although message framing had no effect, gender interacted with latency condition such that females did not differ by message latency, while males had significantly greater total contact time in the short latency conditions. Number of calls differed by condition over time such that the shorter latencies led to greater calls initially, but dissipated over time. Overall the study indicates that computer-based self-management systems can be adapted to increase patient engagement and use. (PsycINFO Database Record

Automated telephone interventions for problematic alcohol use in clinical and population samples: a randomized controlled trial

Objective

The primary objective was to evaluate 6-month outcomes for brief and extensive automated telephony interventions targeting problematic alcohol use, in comparison to an assessment-only control group. The secondary objective was to compare levels of problematic alcohol use (hazardous, harmful or probable dependence), gender and age among study participants from clinical psychiatric and addiction outpatient settings and from population-based telephone helpline users and Internet help-seeker samples.

Results

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used for screening of problematic alcohol use and 6-month follow-up assessment. A total of 248 of help-seekers with at least hazardous use (AUDIT scores of ≥ 6/≥ 8 for women/men) were recruited from clinical and general population settings. Minor recruitment group differences were identified with respect to AUDIT scores and age at baseline. One hundred and sixty persons (64.5%) did not complete the follow-up assessment. The attrition group had a higher proportion of probable dependence (71% vs. 56%; p = 0.025), and higher scores on the total AUDIT, and its subscales for alcohol consumption and alcohol problems. At follow up, within-group problem levels had declined across all three groups, but there were no significant between-group differences.

Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01958359, Registered October 9, 2013. Retrospectively registered

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Brief Intervention by Interactive Voice Response

Aims

To determine the effect of an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) brief intervention (BI) to reduce alcohol consumption among adults seeking primary care.

Methods

Patients (N = 1855) with unhealthy drinking were recruited from eight academic internal medicine and family medicine clinics and randomized to IVR-BI (n = 938) versus No IVR-BI control (n = 917). Daily alcohol consumption was assessed at baseline, 3- and 6-months using the Timeline Followback.

Results

The IVR-BI was completed by 95% of the 938 patients randomized to that condition, and 62% of them indicated a willingness to consider a change in their drinking. Participants in both conditions significantly reduced consumption over time, but changes were not different between groups. Regardless of condition, participants with alcohol use disorder (AUD) showed significant decreases in drinking outcomes. No significant changes were observed in patients without AUD, regardless of condition.

Conclusion

Although the IVR intervention was well accepted by patients, there was no evidence that IVR-BI was superior to No IVR-BI for reducing drinking in the subsequent 6 months. Because both the design and the intervention tested were novel, we cannot say definitively why this particular eHealth treatment lacked efficacy. It could be useful to evaluate the effect of the pre-randomization assessment alone on change in drinking. The high treatment engagement rate and successful implementation protocol are strengths, and can be adopted for future trials.

Short summary

We examined the efficacy of a novel BI for patient self-administration by automated telephone. Alcohol consumption decreased over time but there were no between-group changes in consumption. Regardless of treatment condition, participants with alcohol use disorder (AUD) showed significant reduction in drinking but participants without AUD showed no change.

Reducing non-injection drug use in HIV primary care: A randomized trial of brief motivational interviewing, with and without HealthCall, a technology-based enhancement

AIMS

In HIV-infected individuals, non-injection drug use (NIDU) compromises many health outcomes. In HIV primary care, the efficacy of brief motivational interviewing (MI) to reduce NIDU is unknown, and drug users may need greater intervention. We designed an enhancement to MI, HealthCall (HC), for daily patient self-monitoring calls to an interactive voice response (IVR) phone system, and provided participants with periodic personalized feedback. To reduce NIDU among HIV primary care patients, we compared the efficacy of MI+HealthCall to MI-only and an educational control condition.

DESIGN

Participants age >18 with >4days of NIDU during the prior 30days were recruited from large urban HIV primary care clinics. Of the 240 participants, 83 were randomly assigned to control, 77 to MI-only, and 80 to MI+HC. Counselors provided educational control, MI-only or MI+HC at baseline. At 30 and 60days (end-of-treatment), counselors briefly discussed drug use, moods and health behaviors, using HealthCall-generated graphs with MI+HC patients. Primary outcomes (last 30days) were number of days used primary drug (NumDU), and total quantity of primary drug used (dollar amount spent; QuantU), derived from the Time-Line Follow-Back.

FINDINGS

Across all groups, at end-of-treatment, frequency and quantity of NIDU decreased, with significantly greater reductions in the MI-Only group. A twelve-month post-treatment follow-up indicated sustained benefits of MI+HC and MI-only relative to control.

CONCLUSIONS

Brief interventions can be successfully used to reduce non-injection drug use in HIV primary care. IVR-based technology may not be sufficiently engaging to be effective. Future studies should investigate mobile technology to deliver a more engaging version of HealthCall to diverse substance abusing populations.

The Effects of Psychotherapy for Major Depressive Disorder on Daily Mood and Functioning: A Longitudinal Experience Sampling Study

Experience sampling methodology (ESM) was used in a randomized controlled trial of short-term therapy to examine changes in daily affect and reactivity to daily event appraisals among depressed patients. Fifty-five depressed adults (mean age 37 years, 80% female) were randomly assigned to one of two therapy conditions. Using an interactive voice response system, participants rated activities and emotional functioning eight times per day for seven days. Thirty-one participants completed treatment and repeated ESM post-treatment. Broad improvements in mood, cognition, and physical functioning were similar across treatment conditions, with the largest improvements for markers of positive affect. Participants demonstrated increased resilience, i.e., diminished reactivity to stressors at post-treatment. Changes in reactivity to positive daily situations were minimal. Findings underscore the utility of ESM in psychotherapy research and the importance of including measures of both positive and negative affect and experiences.

How a Fully Automated eHealth Program Simulates Three Therapeutic Processes: A Case Study

Background

eHealth programs may be better understood by breaking down the components of one particular program and discussing its potential for interactivity and tailoring in regard to concepts from face-to-face counseling. In the search for the efficacious elements within eHealth programs, it is important to understand how a program using lapse management may simultaneously support working alliance, internalization of motivation, and behavior maintenance. These processes have been applied to fully automated eHealth programs individually. However, given their significance in face-to-face counseling, it may be important to simulate the processes simultaneously in interactive, tailored programs.

Objective

We propose a theoretical model for how fully automated behavior change eHealth programs may be more effective by simulating a therapist’s support of a working alliance, internalization of motivation, and managing lapses.

Methods

We show how the model is derived from theory and its application to Endre, a fully automated smoking cessation program that engages the user in several “counseling sessions” about quitting. A descriptive case study based on tools from the intervention mapping protocol shows how each therapeutic process is simulated.

Results

The program supports the user’s working alliance through alliance factors, the nonembodied relational agent Endre and computerized motivational interviewing. Computerized motivational interviewing also supports internalized motivation to quit, whereas a lapse management component responds to lapses. The description operationalizes working alliance, internalization of motivation, and managing lapses, in terms of eHealth support of smoking cessation.

Conclusions

A program may simulate working alliance, internalization of motivation, and lapse management through interactivity and individual tailoring, potentially making fully automated eHealth behavior change programs more effective.

Designing of Intelligent Multilingual Patient Reported Outcome System (IMPROS)

Background:

By self-reporting outcome procedure the patients themselves record disease symptoms outside medical centers and then report them to medical staff in specific periods of time. One of the self-reporting methods is the application of interactive voice response (IVR), in which some pre-designed questions in the form of voice tracks would be played and then the caller responses the questions by pressing phone’s keypad bottoms.

Aim:

The present research explains the main framework of such system designing according to IVR technology that is for the first time designed and administered in Iran.

Methods:

Interactive Voice Response system was composed by two main parts of hardware and software. Hardware section includes one or several digital phone lines, a modem card with voice playing capability and a PC. IVR software on the other hand, acts as an intelligent control center, records call information and controls incoming data.

Results:

One of the main features of the system is its capability to be administered in common PCs, utilizing simple and cheap modems, high speed to take responses and it’s appropriateness to low literate patients. The system is applicable for monitoring chronic diseases, cancer and also in psychological diseases and can be suitable for taking care of elders and Children who require long term cares. Other features include user-friendly, decrease in direct and indirect costs of disease treatment and enjoying from high level of security to access patients’ profiles.

Conclusions:

Intelligent multilingual patient reported outcome system (IMPROS) by controlling diseases gives the opportunity to patients to have more participation during treatment and it improves mutual interaction between patient and medical staff. Moreover it increases the quality of medical services, Additional to empowering patients and their followers.

Compliance to Cell Phone-Based EMA Among Latino Youth in Outpatient Treatment

Outpatient treatment practices for adolescent substance users utilize retrospective self-report to monitor drug use. Cell phone-based ecological momentary assessment (CEMA) overcomes retrospective self-report biases and can enhance outpatient treatment, particularly among Latino adolescents, who have been understudied with regard to CEMA. This study explores compliance to text message-based CEMA with youth (n = 28; 93% Latino) in outpatient treatment. Participants were rotated through daily, random, and event-based CEMA strategies for 1-month periods. Overall compliance was high (>80%). Compliance decreased slightly over the study period and was less during random versus daily strategies and on days when alcohol use was retrospectively reported. Findings suggest that CEMA is a viable monitoring tool for Latino youth in outpatient treatment, but further study is needed to determine optimal CEMA strategies, monitoring time periods, and the appropriateness of CEMA for differing levels of substance use.

Using Interactive Web-Based Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment in an Urban, Safety-Net HIV Clinic

Substance use among people living with HIV is high, and screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based approach to addressing the issue. We examined whether patients would participate in a technology-based SBIRT program in an urban HIV clinic. An SBIRT intervention was programmed into the clinic's web-based patient portal linked to their personal health record. We examined: demographic, health, HIV, and substance use characteristics of participants who completed the web-based intervention compared to those who did not. Fewer than half of the 96 participants assigned to the web-based SBIRT completed it (n = 39; 41 %). Participants who completed the web-based intervention had significantly higher amphetamine SSIS scores than those who did not complete the intervention. Participants whose substance use is more harmful may be more motivated to seek help from a variety of sources. In addition, it is important that technology-based approaches to behavioral interventions in clinics take into consideration feasibility, client knowledge, and comfort using technology.

Efficacy of automated telephone continuing care following outpatient therapy for alcohol dependence

BACKGROUND

Relapse rates following cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for alcohol dependence are high. Continuing care programs can prolong therapeutic effects but are underutilized. Thus, there is need to explore options having greater accessibility.

METHODS

This randomized controlled trial tested the efficacy of a novel, fully automated continuing care program, Alcohol Therapeutic Interactive Voice Response (ATIVR). ATIVR enables daily monitoring of alcohol consumption and associated variables, offers targeted feedback, and facilitates use of coping skills. Upon completing 12weeks of group CBT for alcohol dependence, participants were randomly assigned to either four months of ATIVR (n=81) or usual care (n=77). Drinking behavior was assessed pre- and post-CBT, then at 2weeks, 2months, 4months, and 12months post-randomization.

RESULTS

Drinking days per week increased over time for the control group but not the intervention group. There were no significant differences between groups on the other alcohol-related outcome measures. Comparisons on the subset of participants abstinent at the end of CBT (n=72) showed higher rates of continuous abstinence in the experimental group. Effect sizes for the other outcome variables were moderate but not significant in this subgroup.

CONCLUSIONS

For continuing care, ATIVR shows some promise as a tool that may help clients maintain gains achieved during outpatient treatment. However, ATIVR may not be adequate for clients who have not achieved treatment goals at the time of discharge.

The Use of New Communications Technologies to Evaluate and Intervene in Substance Use Disorders

The widespread availability of high speed, mobile cellular telephones and other advances in communication technology have the potential to change the way that interventions for substance use disorders (SUD) are delivered and how progress is monitored. This article reviews recent research on the use of new technology to monitor progress and deliver interventions for SUD. Several studies of telephone-based interventions show positive effects, but sometimes only in certain subgroups. However, other studies produced negative results. Studies support the use of interactive voice response (IVR) and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to conduct assessments, but there is little data on whether IVR- or PDA-based interventions improve outcomes. Text messaging has received comparatively little research, but appears promising as a means to conduct assessments and deliver automated interventions. Finally, smartphone technology provides the widest range of features and interventions and the greatest flexibility, but few intervention studies that use them have been conducted.

Profiles of impaired, spared, and recovered neuropsychologic processes in alcoholism

Long-term chronic alcoholism is associated with disparate and widespread residual consequences for brain functioning and behavior, and alcoholics suffer a variety of cognitive deficiencies and emotional abnormalities. Alcoholism has heterogeneous origins and outcomes, depending upon factors such as family history, age, gender, and mental or physical health. Consequently, the neuropsychologic profiles associated with alcoholism are not uniform among individuals. Moreover, within and across research studies, variability among subjects is substantial and contributes to characteristics associated with differential treatment outcomes after detoxification. In order to refine our understanding of alcoholism-related impaired, spared, and recovered abilities, we focus on five specific functional domains: (1) memory; (2) executive functions; (3) emotion and psychosocial skills; (4) visuospatial cognition; and (5) psychomotor abilities. Although the entire brain might be vulnerable in uncomplicated alcoholism, the brain systems that are considered to be most at risk are the frontocerebellar and mesocorticolimbic circuitries. Over time, with abstinence from alcohol, the brain appears to become reorganized to provide compensation for structural and behavioral deficits. By relying on a combination of clinical and scientific approaches, future research will help to refine the compensatory roles of healthy brain systems, the degree to which abstinence and treatment facilitate the reversal of brain atrophy and dysfunction, and the importance of individual differences to outcome.

Interactive voice response technology for symptom monitoring and as an adjunct to the treatment of chronic pain

Chronic pain is a medical condition that severely decreases the quality of life for those who struggle to cope with it. Interactive voice response (IVR) technology has the ability to track symptoms and disease progression, to investigate the relationships between symptom patterns and clinical outcomes, to assess the efficacy of ongoing treatments, and to directly serve as an adjunct to therapeutic treatment for chronic pain. While many approaches exist toward the management of chronic pain, all have their pitfalls and none work universally. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one approach that has been shown to be fairly effective, and therapeutic interactive voice response technology provides a convenient and easy-to-use means of extending the therapeutic gains of CBT long after patients have discontinued clinical visitations. This review summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of IVR technology, provides evidence for the efficacy of the method in monitoring and managing chronic pain, and addresses potential future directions that the technology may take as a therapeutic intervention in its own right.

Using technology in the delivery of mental health and substance abuse treatment in rural communities: a review

Rural communities face tremendous challenges in accessing mental health and substance abuse treatment services. Some of the most promising advancements in the delivery of rural health care services have been in the area of telecommunication technology. These applications have the potential to reduce the disparities in the delivery of substance abuse and mental health services between urban and rural communities. The purpose of this inquiry was to explore the advances and uses of telecommunications technology, and related issues, in the delivery of mental health and substance abuse treatment services within rural areas. A review of the academic literature and other relevant works was conducted and the content was organized into four major themes: (a) advantages of telehealth and applications to rural practice, (b) barriers to implementation in rural practice, (c) utilization in rural areas, and (d) areas for further research.

The Recovery Line: A pilot trial of automated, telephone-based treatment for continued drug use in methadone maintenance

The current pilot study evaluated feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy of a therapeutic Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system ("the Recovery Line") for patients receiving methadone maintenance who continue to use illicit drugs. Patients were randomized (N=36) to 4weeks of treatment-as-usual (TAU) or Recovery Line plus TAU. Ratings of the Recovery Line were high and remained stable throughout the study. However, despite instructions and reminders, patients used substantially less than the recommended daily use (<10days of 28). Patients were more likely to report abstinence from opioids and cocaine on days they used the Recovery Line (p=.01) than those they did not. Conditions did not differ significantly on patient satisfaction, urine screen outcomes, or coping efficacy. As with other computer-based treatments, findings suggest the Recovery Line is acceptable and feasible. However, additional methods to increase patient utilization of automated systems and larger clinical trials are needed.

Development of a novel tool for engaging children and parents in asthma self-management

This paper describes the development and evaluation of an innovative application designed to engage children and their parents in weekly asthma self-monitoring and self-management to prompt an early response to deteriorations in chronic asthma control, and to provide their physicians with longitudinal data to assess the effectiveness of asthma therapy and prompt adjustments. The evaluation included 2 iterative usability testing cycles with 6 children with asthma and 2 parents of children with asthma to assess user performance and satisfaction with the application. Several usability problems were identified and changes were made to ensure acceptability of the application and relevance of the content. This novel application is unique compared to existing asthma tools and may shift asthma care from the current reactive, acute care model to a preventive, proactive patient-centered approach where treatment decisions are tailored to patients' individual patterns of chronic asthma control to prevent acute exacerbations.