Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Language

English

Publication Date

1-1-2025

Journal

The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse

DOI

10.1080/00952990.2025.2458626

PMID

39992982

PMCID

PMC12148687

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

2-24-2026

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Abstract

Background: Measurement-based care (MBC) is a clinical practice where patients complete standardized outcome measures throughout treatment to monitor clinical progress and inform clinical decision-making. However, MBC is rarely adopted in routine substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. We developed a digital MBC system and pilot tested it in an outpatient adult community SUD treatment setting.

Objectives:The current study aims to characterize qualitative feedback from the pilot participants about their experiences using the MBC system in SUD treatment, focusing on perceived benefits, drawbacks, and suggestions for improvement.

Methods: Participants (N=30; n=11 female 37%) completed weekly MBC questionnaires via smartphone for 6 months and completed structured interviews at 6-, 12-, and 24-weeks. Themes were identified using a combination of inductive/deductive thematic analysis.

Results:Participants highlighted several benefits of using the digital MBC system, including improved self-reflection (e.g., goal clarification, noticing changes over time), treatment enhancement (e.g., improving patient-clinician communication, extending the reach of treatment beyond scheduled sessions), and ease-of-use (e.g., brief, understandable questions). Drawbacks were less frequently expressed and included limited integration with clinical care, repetitiveness of questionnaires, and some questions being difficult to answer. Suggestions included making elements more personalized and improving interactivity with the digital interface.

Conclusion: Patients report several benefits of integrating digitally-delivered MBC into SUD treatment, along with recommendations that may improve its usability and usefulness. Integrating MBC technology into SUD treatment may potentially aid patients by enhancing self-reflection, facilitating more efficient communication with clinicians, and extending the reach of treatment beyond scheduled treatment sessions.

Keywords

Humans, Female, Substance-Related Disorders, Male, Adult, Middle Aged, Qualitative Research, Surveys and Questionnaires, Smartphone, Pilot Projects, Telemedicine, Patient Satisfaction

Published Open-Access

yes

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.