A Chatbot to Support Substance Use Recovery

Phase 1

Recruiting

• Conditions: Opiate-Related Disorders; Opiate Substitution Treatment

• Registration Number: NCT06845878
• Lead Sponsor: Dimagi Inc.

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if/how an AI chatbot can support patients who in recovery for substance use, specifically those who are receiving medication for opioid use disorder.

Can the chatbot help lower drug use? Can the chatbot help improve clinical appointment adherence? Can the chatbot help patients build self-efficacy in leading their own recovery journey? Will the chatbot help reduce workload burden for primary care teams? Can the chatbot serve as a safe, useful and engaging tool to support patients?

Researchers will investigate the effects of using a chatbot to support follow-up care for patients in opioid use recovery.

Participants will:

* Receive access to a chatbot for 12 weeks that they can use to prepare for upcoming clinical appointments, find community resources, learn about urge-surfing and wellness techniques, and query for assistance with other recovery-related information and tasks

* Complete surveys and provide user feedback

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2025-02
• Study First Submitted: 2025-02-18
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-02-20
• Study First Posted: 2025-02-25
• Study Start: 2025-03-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-10
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-12
• Primary Completion: 2025-09
• Study Completion: 2025-09

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 55

Inclusion Criteria

• 18-65 years old
• Comfortable with reading, understanding, and communicating in English
• Receiving medication treatment for OUD at MGH?
• Able to participate in a remote interview?
• Own or have reliable access to Wi-Fi or a cellular network
• Willing to use a mobile device to access the chatbot?

Exclusion Criteria

• Has any cognitive, visual, or auditory impairments that may prevent the participant from using the chatbot on a mobile device?
• Unstable medical condition that compromises the ability to safely participate

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in SUD severity	12 weeks	Addiction Severity Index (ASI) Drugs composite score; Scored 0-7 with higher scores indicating increasing severity
Change in psychological health (Anxiety)	12 weeks	General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7); scored 0-21 with higher scores indicating increasing anxiety
Change in psychological health (Depression)	12 weeks	Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8); scored 0-24 with higher scores indicating more severe depression
Change in self-efficacy for managing chronic conditions (Emotions)	12 weeks	PROMIS Short Form 8a (Managing Emotions); scored from 8-40 with higher scores indicating higher confidence managing emotions
Change in self-efficacy for managing chronic conditions (Social Interactions)	12 weeks	PROMIS Short Form 8a (Social Interactions); scored from 8-40 with higher scores indicating higher confidence with managing social interactions

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in social needs	12 weeks	Accountable Health Communities Health-Related Social Needs (AHC HRSN) screening; higher scores indicate higher unmet social needs
Change in quality of life	12 weeks	World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoL-BREF) Assessment; higher scores indicate higher quality of life
Chatbot usability	End of 12 week intervention	Chatbot Usability Questionnaire (CUQ); scored 0-100 with higher scores indicating higher usability
User Satisfaction	End of 12 week intervention	Net Promoter Score (NPS); scored -100 to 100 with higher scores indicating higher user satisfaction

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Massachusetts General Hospital; 🇺🇸 Boston, Massachusetts, United States