Bozinoff Nikki, Prasad Divya, Xiao Ke Bin, Ngoy Anthony, Foll Bernard Le, Gordezky Anna, Hendershot Christian S, LaFleur Sandra, Quilty Lena C, Tang Victor M, Watson Tara Marie, Sloan Matthew E
Addictions Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2025 Aug 13;20(1):68. doi: 10.1186/s13722-025-00585-8.
Increasingly, services for the management of substance use disorders have been developed or adapted for remote delivery. Limited research has investigated service user experience of these services. We undertook a qualitative sub-study, embedded within a pilot feasibility study of remote symptom-triggered alcohol withdrawal management, to better understand the experiences of participants. Our aim was to determine the acceptability of the intervention and refine intervention procedures.
Eligible participants were enrolled in the parent study and completed at least one day of telemedicine-delivered symptom-triggered alcohol withdrawal management. Individuals were adults with alcohol use disorder recruited using intensity sampling. Participants completed an audio-recorded, semi-structured interview. Thematic analysis was conducted using Braun and Clarke interpretive methodology.
Fourteen individuals were enrolled in the study. Six themes were identified: benefits of being in the home environment, technological tensions, intervention-specific feedback, personal motivations for participation, post-program achievements and changes and navigating the 'system'. Participants identified numerous benefits of being in the home environment including: increased comfort, privacy and security, normalizing abstinence in the home, flexibility to engage in other tasks, and the convenience of not travelling. Intervention-specific feedback included positive aspects of the intervention (interactions with staff, accountability, counselling, use of medication), areas for improvement (preparation, scheduling, medication logistics, and aftercare), and the meaning and role of having a support person available during treatment.
Participants found remote alcohol withdrawal management to be satisfactory and associated with several benefits including increased comfort, privacy, normalizing abstinence in the home, flexibility and convenience. They also provided important feedback for refinement of the intervention. Findings suggest that remote alcohol withdrawal management could play an important role in improving access to medical management of alcohol withdrawal, particularly in rural, remote or underserved areas.
越来越多针对物质使用障碍管理的服务已被开发或调整为可远程提供。针对这些服务的服务使用者体验的研究有限。我们在一项针对远程症状触发式酒精戒断管理的试点可行性研究中开展了一项定性子研究，以更好地了解参与者的体验。我们的目的是确定干预措施的可接受性并完善干预程序。
符合条件的参与者被纳入母研究，并完成了至少一天通过远程医疗提供的症状触发式酒精戒断管理。研究对象为使用强度抽样法招募的患有酒精使用障碍的成年人。参与者完成了一次音频录制的半结构化访谈。采用布劳恩和克拉克的解释性方法进行主题分析。
14人参与了该研究。确定了六个主题：居家环境的益处、技术问题、特定干预的反馈、参与的个人动机、项目后的成就与变化以及应对“系统”。参与者指出了居家环境的诸多益处，包括：舒适度提高、隐私和安全性增强、在家中保持戒酒状态常态化、有灵活性参与其他任务以及无需出行的便利。特定干预的反馈包括干预的积极方面（与工作人员的互动、问责制、咨询、药物使用）、有待改进的方面（准备工作、日程安排、药物后勤和后续护理）以及在治疗期间有支持人员的意义和作用。
参与者认为远程酒精戒断管理令人满意，并带来了诸多益处，包括舒适度提高、隐私性增强、在家中保持戒酒状态常态化、灵活性和便利性。他们还为完善干预措施提供了重要反馈。研究结果表明，远程酒精戒断管理在改善酒精戒断医疗管理的可及性方面可能发挥重要作用，尤其是在农村、偏远或服务不足地区。
