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Khan BN, Chu C, Brual J, Dang-Nguyen M, Oladimeji A, Kthupi A, Bolea-Alamañac B, Tadrous M, O'Riordan A, Rubenstein D, Carlin K, Longum P, Gibson D, Abejirinde IOO. An Observational Study of a Digital Substance Use and Recovery Program. Psychiatr Serv 2024:appips20230427. [PMID: 38982834 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.20230427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Digital substance use treatment programs present an opportunity to provide nonresidential care for people with problematic substance use. In June 2021, the provincial government in Ontario provided free access to Breaking Free Online (BFO), a digital behavioral change program for people with substance use disorders. METHODS An observational study was conducted with retrospective data to characterize clients' use and engagement patterns in BFO and examine changes in self-reported outcomes. RESULTS In total, 6,370 individuals registered for BFO between June 2021 and October 2022, of whom 3,650 completed the intake assessment. Most of these clients were self-referred (64%), with 37% having been referred by health service providers. More than one-half of the clients (52%) resided in Ontario West or East regions. Support for addressing problematic alcohol use was the most requested program (40%). By October 2022, about 44% of the clients had completed between one and four of 12 program strategies. Analysis revealed significant changes in pre-post scores across four validated scales (p<0.001), indicating a decrease in anxiety and depression, an increase in quality of life, an improvement in recovery progression, and a decrease in severity of symptoms associated with substance use disorders. CONCLUSIONS BFO clients with higher completion rates had the most improvement across the scales used; however, clients with lower and medium completion rates also had improvements. Because of the shame and stigma associated with substance use, digital supports with low barriers to entry can help support the autonomy, privacy, and preferences of individuals seeking help for problematic substance use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bilal Noreen Khan
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
| | - Cherry Chu
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
| | - Janette Brual
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
| | - Marlena Dang-Nguyen
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
| | - Adetola Oladimeji
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
| | - Altea Kthupi
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
| | - Blanca Bolea-Alamañac
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
| | - Mina Tadrous
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
| | - Anne O'Riordan
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
| | - Donna Rubenstein
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
| | - Kathleen Carlin
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
| | - Philip Longum
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
| | - Daryn Gibson
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
| | - Ibukun-Oluwa Omolade Abejirinde
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto (Khan, Chu, Brual, Dang-Nguyen, Oladimeji, Bolea-Alamañac, Tadrous, O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin, Longum, Gibson, Abejirinde); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto (Khan, Kthupi, Abejirinde); Women's College Research Institute, Toronto (Kthupi); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Bolea-Alamañac); Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto (Tadrous); Patient Advisors Network, Toronto (O'Riordan, Rubenstein, Carlin)
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