A smartphone app can help patients with opioid use disorder reduce their days of opioid use and stay in treatment longer, according to new research.
The study by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) in the US showed that those who chose to use the smartphone app – which combines contingency management behavioural therapy and recovery support from peers – and alongside medication, reduced their days of opioid use by 35 per cent compared with those treated with medication only.
Additionally, app users remained in treatment nearly 19 per cent longer than those treated with medication alone, said the study published in JAMA Network Open.
“These findings suggest that augmenting medication for opioid use disorder with app-based contingency management may provide clinical benefits for underserved patients,” said Elise Marino, director of research operations at UT Health San Antonio’s Be Well Institute on …