Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore 560029, India.
Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore 560029, India.
Asian J Psychiatr. 2023 May;83:103572. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2023.103572. Epub 2023 Mar 27.
To design, develop and pilot the 'Quest' app for smartphone-based relapse prevention for patients diagnosed with alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS).
Principles of relapse prevention and motivation enhancement were used to develop the Quest App. Four addiction psychiatrists reviewed the app using the "app evaluation framework". Thirty patients (> 18 yrs age) diagnosed with ADS, who had an Android smartphone, were fluent in writing and reading English and agreed to use the app regularly for the next three months were enrolled in this study. After initial treatment for intoxication/withdrawal and with written consent, patients in the study group (TAUQ) were requested to download the Quest application from a downloadable installation file. The usability and acceptability of Quest App amongst TAUQ patients was evaluated using the usability section of the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ). The short-term effectiveness at the end of three months was compared between TAUQ and comparison group who received Treatment as Usual (TAU).
Both acceptability (65 %) and usability (5.8 out of 7) of the app were high. The patient groups (with or without Quest app) showed a significant reduction in drinking at 30, 60, and 90 days follow-up compared with their baseline number of drinking days. There was no significant difference between the two groups (with or without Quest App) in the median number of lapses and the median number of days of heavy drinking.
This is the first attempt to develop a smartphone app and test its feasibility in preventing relapse among patients with ADS in the Indian population. Further validation of the app after incorporating feedback and testing on a larger sample size and multiple languages is required.
设计、开发并试点“Quest”智能手机应用程序，用于预防被诊断患有酒精依赖综合征（ADS）的患者复发。
采用复发预防和动机增强原则开发 Quest 应用程序。四位成瘾精神病学家使用“应用程序评估框架”对该应用程序进行了评估。招募了 30 名患有 ADS（年龄> 18 岁）、能熟练使用英语读写且同意在接下来的三个月内定期使用该应用程序的患者入组本研究。在初始治疗中毒/戒断后并获得书面同意后，研究组（TAUQ）的患者被要求从可下载的安装文件中下载 Quest 应用程序。使用 mHealth App Usability Questionnaire（MAUQ）的可用性部分评估 TAUQ 患者对 Quest 应用程序的可用性和可接受性。在三个月结束时，将 TAUQ 与接受常规治疗（TAU）的对照组进行比较，评估短期效果。
该应用程序的接受度（65%）和可用性（7 分制 5.8 分）均较高。患者组（使用或不使用 Quest 应用程序）在 30、60 和 90 天随访时与基线饮酒天数相比，饮酒量显著减少。有或没有 Quest 应用程序的两组之间在复发次数中位数和重度饮酒天数中位数方面没有显著差异。
这是首次尝试在印度人群中开发智能手机应用程序并测试其预防 ADS 患者复发的可行性。需要进一步验证该应用程序，在更大的样本量和多种语言中纳入反馈并进行测试。
