Drug courts test smart phone app to help addicted offenders
Posted on 14. Dec, 2011 by admin in Research
Smart phones make phone calls, play music, take pictures and keep track of your appointments. Now, researchers at the UW-Madison are investigating ways in which smart phone applications can help people deal with a chronic illness, such as addiction.
The system they’ve developed, called Addiction-CHESS (A-CHESS) gives users access to an online peer support group and clinical counselors. A “panic button” on the device allows the user to place an immediate call for help with cravings or triggers—people, places and things associated with drug or alcohol use in the past. A GPS feature sends an alert when the user gets near an area of previous drug or alcohol activity. A-CHESS also allows for real-time video counseling. Tools and graphs help the user celebrate milestones in recovery.
In a four-month pilot that began in February, 30 offenders in the Ayer Concord Drug Court Program (ACDCP) in Massachusetts tested A-CHESS as a treatment tool. Drug courts provide substance abuse treatment to addicted offenders as an alternative to incarceration.
Researchers measured how much the pilot participants used A-CHESS during the study period, which features they used most frequently, and how their drug or alcohol use compared to that of other drug court participants. The research team also interviewed the study participants and judges, drug court administrators and substance abuse counselors to get their feedback and suggestions for improvements to the application.
The ACDCP drug court teams and clients were excited about the pilot, says Hilary Curtis, program director. “Being able to reach out during times of risk can be a key factor in maintaining sobriety, and this tool can make that call for help much easier,” she says.
The team’s primary hypothesis is that A-CHESS will improve competence and autonomy, which are important to help individuals succeed in drug court treatment, says Research Professor David H. Gustafson, principal investigator for the A-CHESS study.
Analysis of the results since the completion of the pilot show that information and communication technologies like A-CHESS might become important tools for addiction treatment recovery and support, says Kim Johnson, who conducted the pilot with research assistant Stephanie Richards. “We found that A-CHESS was well-accepted by drug-dependent patients, even those that were mandated to treatment and whose use of the technology was heavily monitored,” Johnson says.
The pair also found that use of A-CHESS appeared to strengthen group cohesions in the patients’ treatment group. “This is noteworthy because
active participation in treatment is a significant predictor of positive treatment outcomes,” Johnson says.
Johnson and Richards presented their full findings on the pilot at the upcoming mHealth Summit in Washington, D.C., in December 2011.
