The relationship between utilization of mobile health technology and in-person care

Background Persons with alcohol use disorders benefit from continuing care, but few receive aftercare or ongoing monitoring after completing an episode of addiction treatment. A recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) demonstrated that a smartphone intervention provided effective continuing care for alcohol use disorders. The Addiction-Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS), which provides relapse prevention services including psychoeducation, communication, support, and electronic monitoring, significantly reduced risky drinking days and increased abstinence over 12 months following discharge from residential treatment. While smartphone interventions appear to be an effective mechanism for delivering continuing care, it may also be of interest to harness this technology to facilitate engagement in formal or “traditional” face-toface treatment for addiction. We sought to evaluate the feasibility of using smartphone interventions to facilitate engagement in formal continuing care for alcohol use disorders.