Feasibility of a Mobile Health App for Routine Outcome Monitoring and Feedback in Mutual Support Groups Coordinated by SMART Recovery Australia: Protocol for a Pilot Study

Peter J Kelly,Victoria Manning,Angela Argent,Rebecca M Gray,Leanne Hides,Alison K Beck,Ryan Mcglaughlin,Frank P Deane,Anthony Shakeshaft,Joanne Neale,Christopher Oldmeadow,Briony Larance,Carla Treloar,Andrew Searles,Amanda L Baker,John Kelly

doi:10.2196/15113

Abstract

BackgroundDespite the importance and popularity of mutual support groups, there have been no systematic attempts to implement and evaluate routine outcome monitoring (ROM) in these settings. Unlike other mutual support groups for addiction, trained facilitators lead all Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART Recovery) groups, thereby providing an opportunity to implement ROM as a routine component of SMART Recovery groups.ObjectiveThis study protocol aims to describe a stage 1 pilot study designed to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a novel, purpose-built mobile health (mHealth) ROM and feedback app (Smart Track) in SMART Recovery groups coordinated by SMART Recovery Australia (SRAU) The secondary objectives are to describe Smart Track usage patterns, explore psychometric properties of the ROM items (ie, internal reliability and convergent and divergent validity), and provide preliminary evidence for participant reported outcomes (such as alcohol and other drug use, self-reported recovery, and mental health).MethodsParticipants (n=100) from the SMART Recovery groups across New South Wales, Australia, will be recruited to a nonrandomized, prospective, single-arm trial of the Smart Track app. There are 4 modes of data collection: (1) ROM data collected from group participants via the Smart Track app, (2) data analytics summarizing user interactions with Smart Track, (3) quantitative interview and survey data of group participants (baseline, 2-week follow-up, and 2-month follow-up), and (4) qualitative interviews with group participants (n=20) and facilitators (n=10). Feasibility and acceptability (primary objectives) will be analyzed using descriptive statistics, a cost analysis, and a qualitative evaluation.ResultsAt the time of submission, 13 sites (25 groups per week) had agreed to be involved. Funding was awarded on August 14, 2017, and ethics approval was granted on April 26, 2018 (HREC/18/WGONG/34; 2018/099). Enrollment is due to commence in July 2019. Data collection is due to be finalized in October 2019.ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to use ROM and tailored feedback within a mutual support group setting for addictive behaviors. Our study design will provide an opportunity to identify the acceptability of a novel mHealth ROM and feedback app within this setting and provide detailed information on what factors promote or hinder ROM usage within this context. This project aims to offer a new tool, should Smart Track prove feasible and acceptable, that service providers, policy makers, and researchers could use in the future to understand the impact of SMART Recovery groups.Trial RegistrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12619000686101; https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=377336.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/15113

Highlights

BackgroundUsing standardized outcome measures to regularly monitor client progress in alcohol and other drug (AOD) settings is an important mechanism for monitoring the effectiveness of service provision [1-3]
Feasibility of a mobile health app for routine outcome monitoring and feedback in mutual support groups coordinated by Self-management And Recovery Training Substance Use Recovery Evaluator (SURE) (SMART) recovery Australia: Protocol for a pilot study
To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to use routine outcome monitoring (ROM) and tailored feedback within a mutual support group setting for addictive behaviors

Summary

Introduction

BackgroundUsing standardized outcome measures to regularly monitor client progress in alcohol and other drug (AOD) settings is an important mechanism for monitoring the effectiveness of service provision [1-3]. Routine outcome monitoring (ROM) provides clinicians with timely feedback about client progress and allows clinicians to tailor treatment to the individual needs of clients and guide treatment decisions [4]. This may be of particular importance when a client is not on track (ie, not improving in line with clinical norms [4]). Evidence from the United Kingdom suggests that almost 60% of individuals who access AOD treatment own a smartphone [12] This figure is likely higher in Australia as it is the leading global adopter of smartphones (88% ownership [13]). Despite the importance and popularity of mutual support groups, there have been no systematic attempts to implement and evaluate routine outcome monitoring (ROM) in these settings. Unlike other mutual support groups for addiction, trained facilitators lead all Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART Recovery) groups, thereby providing an opportunity to implement ROM as a routine component of SMART Recovery groups

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Discussion

Conclusion