Augmenting Meds With Phone App Boosts Opioid Addiction Recovery Success

THURSDAY, Jan. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Augmenting medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) with smartphone app-based contingency management (CM) is beneficial for uninsured or underinsured adults, according to a study published online Dec. 2 in JAMA Network Open.

Elise N. Marino, Ph.D., from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and colleagues examined whether augmenting MOUD with app-based CM is associated with days of opioid use at the end of treatment in a retrospective cohort study. The cohort included 600 individuals aged 18 years or older who were uninsured or underinsured and chose to receive MOUD only or MOUD plus CM delivered via a smartphone app (300 in each treatment group). On achieving their self-chosen recovery goals, participants who chose to receive app-based CM received monetary incentives.

The researchers found that compared with those who chose to receive MOUD only, those who chose to receive MOUD plus app-based CM reported significantly fewer days of opioid use at the end of treatment (mean duration, 8.4 versus 12.0 days; β = −6.10). Patients who chose to receive MOUD plus app-based CM were more likely to stay in treatment for longer than those who chose to receive MOUD only, according to retention analyses (mean duration, 290.2 versus 236.1 days; β = 51.91).

“Despite the challenges of engaging patients in other app-based interventions, adding recovery-oriented, app-based CM may be one way to enhance clinical care and meet the growing needs of historically underserved patients taking MOUD,” the authors write.

One author received grants from KIOS/Biomedical Development Corp.

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