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Östh J, Danielsson AK, Lundin A, Wennberg P, Andréasson S, Jirwe M. Keeping Track of My Drinking - Patient Perceptions of Using Smartphone Applications as a Treatment Complement for Alcohol Dependence. Subst Use Misuse 2023; 59:291-299. [PMID: 37876238 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2023.2269578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol dependence is common, yet highly undertreated. Smartphone applications (apps) have potential to enhance treatment accessibility and effectiveness, however evidence is limited, especially studies focussing on user experiences. The aim was to describe patient perceptions on the usability and acceptability of self-monitoring apps provided as treatment complement for alcohol dependence. METHODS Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted through video or phone calls with 21 participants, recruited from a randomized controlled trial at a dependency clinic in Stockholm. The participants had used two specific apps for self-monitoring consumption ("Glasklart" and "iBAC") during 12 wk prior to the interviews. Data was analyzed using Qualitative Content Analysis. RESULTS Two domains were identified: 1) Smartphone applications as facilitators to treatment, and 2) Barriers to smartphone application use. Using apps within the treatment context was believed to increase the accuracy of the reported consumption. Participants became more aware of their alcohol problem and described the apps as reinforcers that could increase both the motivation to change and the focus on the problem and commitment to treatment. The apps were further described as helpful to control alcohol consumption. However, app usage was constrained by technical problems, unfit app-specific features and procedures, and alcohol-related shame and stigma. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Self-monitoring alcohol apps have several beneficial features that can help assess, track, and control alcohol consumption, and improve communication with clinicians. The results indicate they can be useful complements to treatment for patients with alcohol dependence, but their use can be limited by different, foremost technical, issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Östh
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - A K Danielsson
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - A Lundin
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - P Wennberg
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Psychology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Lillehammer, Norway
| | - S Andréasson
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - M Jirwe
- Department of Health Sciences, Swedish Red Cross University, Huddinge, Sweden
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
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Wolfe DM, Hutton B, Corace K, Chaiyakunapruk N, Ngorsuraches S, Nochaiwong S, Presseau J, Grant A, Dowson M, Palumbo A, Suschinsky K, Skidmore B, Bartram M, Garner G, DiGioacchino L, Pump A, Peters B, Konefal S, Eves AP, Thavorn K. Service-level barriers to and facilitators of accessibility to treatment for problematic alcohol use: a scoping review. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1296239. [PMID: 38106884 PMCID: PMC10722420 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1296239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Services to treat problematic alcohol use (PAU) should be highly accessible to optimize treatment engagement. We conducted a scoping review to map characteristics of services for the treatment of PAU that have been reported in the literature to be barriers to or facilitators of access to treatment from the perspective of individuals with PAU. Methods A protocol was developed a priori, registered, and published. We searched MEDLINE®, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and additional grey literature sources from 2010 to April 2022 to identify primary qualitative research and surveys of adults with current or past PAU requiring treatment that were designed to identify modifiable characteristics of PAU treatment services (including psychosocial and pharmacologic interventions) that were perceived to be barriers to or facilitators of access to treatment. Studies of concurrent PAU and other substance use disorders were excluded. Study selection was performed by multiple review team members. Emergent barriers were coded and mapped to the accessibility dimensions of the Levesque framework of healthcare access, then descriptively summarized. Results One-hundred-and-nine included studies reported an extensive array of unique service-level barriers that could act alone or together to prevent treatment accessibility. These included but were not limited to lack of an obvious entry point, complexity of the care pathway, high financial cost, unacceptably long wait times, lack of geographically accessible treatment, inconvenient appointment hours, poor cultural/demographic sensitivity, lack of anonymity/privacy, lack of services to treat concurrent PAU and mental health problems. Discussion Barriers generally aligned with recent reviews of the substance use disorder literature. Ranking of barriers may be explored in a future discrete choice experiment of PAU service users. The rich qualitative findings of this review may support the design of new or modification of existing services for people with PAU to improve accessibility. Systematic Review Registration Open Science Framework doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/S849R.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian Hutton
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Kim Corace
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Substance Use and Concurrent Disorders Program, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Nathorn Chaiyakunapruk
- Department of Pharmacotherapy, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
- Informatics, Decision Enhancement, and Analytics Sciences (IDEAS) Center, Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Healthcare System, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | | | - Surapon Nochaiwong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Care, Pharmacoepidemiology and Statistics Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Justin Presseau
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Alyssa Grant
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | | | - Kelly Suschinsky
- Substance Use and Concurrent Disorders Program, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - Mary Bartram
- Mental Health Commission of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Gordon Garner
- Community Addictions Peer Support Association, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - Andrew Pump
- Community Addictions Peer Support Association, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Brianne Peters
- Community Addictions Peer Support Association, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Sarah Konefal
- Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Amy Porath Eves
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Kednapa Thavorn
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Pharmaceutical Care, Pharmacoepidemiology and Statistics Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
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Marcovitz D, Sullivan W, Cobb C. The Need for Biochemical Testing for Alcohol in Integrated Addiction Treatment Settings During the Opioid Epidemic. J Addict Med 2020; 15:359-363. [PMID: 33273253 DOI: 10.1097/adm.0000000000000784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
As the opioid crisis drives expansion of integrated opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment programs in generalist settings, these programs will contend with significant rates of co-occurring alcohol use. The authors present a brief literature review and commentary regarding nondisordered and disordered alcohol use in OUD treatment settings and biochemical detection techniques. Biochemical testing for alcohol in integrated OUD treatment settings is both important for detecting alcohol use disorder and feasible. Breathalyzer testing may assist with management of acutely intoxicated patients. Biochemical testing for alcohol is an important part of integrated OUD treatment. More research is needed on the impact of alcohol use on OUD treatment outcomes and the role of breathalyzer testing in management of intoxicated patients in the outpatient setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Marcovitz
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1211 Medical Center Dr; Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
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Field M, Puddephatt JA, Goodwin L, Owens L, Reaves D, Holmes J. Benefits of temporary alcohol restriction: a feasibility randomized trial. Pilot Feasibility Stud 2020; 6:9. [PMID: 32021698 PMCID: PMC6995140 DOI: 10.1186/s40814-020-0554-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Participation in temporary alcohol abstinence campaigns such as 'Dry January' may prompt enduring reductions in alcohol consumption. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is required to establish any long-term benefits or negative consequences of temporary abstinence. In the present study, we randomized heavy drinkers to complete or intermittent alcohol abstinence for 4 weeks, in order to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a large-scale RCT. METHODS This was a mixed methods feasibility study in which we explored recruitment and retention to a randomized trial, compliance with alcohol abstinence instructions and barriers to compliance, and acceptability of study procedures (primary feasibility outcomes). A community sample of women aged between 40 and 60 who drank in excess of 28 alcohol units per week were randomized to abstain from alcohol for 4 weeks either completely or intermittently (at least four abstinent days per week). To monitor compliance, both groups provided regular breath samples on a cellular breathalyser. A subsample completed a semi-structured interview that probed barriers to compliance with abstinence instructions and acceptability of study procedures. RESULTS Within 5 months, we recruited, screened and randomized 25 participants (20% of participants who responded to advertisements: 14 in the complete abstinence group, 11 in the intermittent abstinence group), 24 of whom were retained throughout the 28-day intervention period. Participants in both groups tended to comply with the instructions: the median number of breathalyser-verified abstinent days was 24 (IQR = 15.5-25.0; 86% of target) in the complete abstinence group versus 12 (IQR = 10-15; 75% of target) in the intermittent abstinence group. Semi-structured interviews identified some barriers to compliance and methodological issues that should be considered in future research. No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS It is feasible to recruit heavy drinking women from community settings and randomize them to either complete or intermittent abstinence from alcohol for 4 weeks. The majority of participants were retained in the study and compliance with the abstinence instructions was good, albeit imperfect. A comprehensive RCT to compare temporary alcohol abstinence with other alcohol reduction strategies on long-term alcohol consumption is feasible. Findings from such a trial would inform implementation of alcohol campaigns and interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt Field
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Cathedral Court, 1 Vicar Lane, Sheffield, S1 2LT UK
| | - Jo-Anne Puddephatt
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Laura Goodwin
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Lynn Owens
- Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Danielle Reaves
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - John Holmes
- School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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