A mobile technology to extend the reach of primary care for opioid misuse

Project Summary Opioid use disorderOUDhas reached epidemic levels in the United Stateswith catastrophic resultsmore Americans died from opioid overdoses inandthan in the entirety of the Vietnam WarPrimary care providersPCPsserve a critical role in combatting this epidemicbecause they see patients who misuse opioids but are not yet dependent in addition to those who are already dependentHoweverthere is a severe workforce shortage of providers trained to treat substance use disordersandfurthermorepatients go weeks or months between clinic visits when they struggle every day to recover from misuse or dependenceAs a resultthere is an urgent need to equip both PCPs and patients with tools to monitor and aid the progress of patients working towards recoveryIn this projectwe will develop a mobile applicationwith a working title of uMAT R Nowthat monitors patientsprovides tailored educational materialguides them through completing treatment adherence goals using evidence based behavioral therapy principalslinks them to follow up treatmentincludes a directory of local resourcesand allows patients to message their PCP and other trusted adults to facilitate shared decision makingFor the PCPwe will build a dashboard through which they can communicate with their patients and monitor their patientsresponses to daily ecological momentary assessmentsThis Phase I STTR study has two Specific AimsSpecific Aimwill focus on patientsin Specific Aima we will measure the ease of use of and engagement with uMAT R Now among patientsin Specific Aimb we will measure the extent to which treatment plan adherence is improved and opiate misuse behaviors are discontinued among uMAT R Now participants versus a control groupSpecific Aimwill focus on PCPsmeasuring their satisfaction with uMAT R Now s PCP dashboard and the tool as a whole Project Narrative The U Sis experiencing an unprecedented opioid epidemic that urgently needs to be addressedIn this studywe will develop a mobile application to engage patients who misuse opioids with accessibleuseful feedbackall while gathering real time data that makes it easy for providers to provide better care