IPROC iproc Iproceedings 2369-6893 JMIR Publications Toronto, Canada v9i1e39424 10.2196/39424 Abstract Abstract Increasing Peer Support for Opioid Use Disorder Recovery During COVID-19 Through Digital Health: Protocol for a National Randomized Controlled Trial Pagoto Sherry Ranney Megan MD, MPH 1
Department of Emergency Medicine Warren Alpert School Medical School of Brown University 222 Richmond St Providence, RI, 02903 United States 1 401 863 3330 megan_ranney@brown.edu
2 3 Marshall Brandon D L PhD 4 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0134-7052 Langdon Kirsten PhD 5 6 Wiehe Sarah MD, MPH 7 Aalsma Matthew PhD 7 Jacka Brendan PhD 4 Peachey Alyssa MHA 4 Beaudoin Francesca MD, PhD 1 4 Department of Emergency Medicine Warren Alpert School Medical School of Brown University Providence, RI United States Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice Brown University School of Public Health Providence, RI United States Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health Providence, RI United States Department of Epidemiology Brown University School of Public Health Providence, RI United States Department of Psychiatry Rhode Island Hospital Providence, RI United States Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Warren Alpert School Medical School of Brown University Providence, RI United States Department of Pediatrics Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, IN United States Corresponding Author: Megan Ranney megan_ranney@brown.edu 2023 31 1 2023 9 e39424 9 5 2022 21 12 2022 ©Megan Ranney, Brandon D L Marshall, Kirsten Langdon, Sarah Wiehe, Matthew Aalsma, Brendan Jacka, Alyssa Peachey, Francesca Beaudoin. Originally published in Iproceedings (https://www.iproc.org), 31.01.2023. 2023

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in Iproceedings, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.iproc.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.

 Background

Increasing numbers of opioid overdoses have been observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, likely reflecting the pandemic’s multiple effects on this already vulnerable population. People in recovery from opioid use disorder (OUD) have reported disproportionate psychosocial distress and isolation, as well as significant disruptions in access to treatment, including peer support, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Peer support is a key component of many evidence-based OUD recovery programs; it improves recovery capital, treatment engagement, and perceived social support and reduces psychosocial distress, particularly when used in conjunction with other evidence-based treatments, such as medication for OUD.

 Objective

This study aims to evaluate a novel mobile peer support app platform among a national sample of individuals in recovery from OUD as an adjunct to usual care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Methods

Individuals residing in the United States who are aged ≥18 years; own a smartphone; and self-report being in recovery for an OUD, being in treatment for an OUD (ie, in the past 30 days received prescribed methadone, naltrexone, or buprenorphine), or currently receiving some form of assisted recovery support (n=1300) will be recruited through online, targeted social media advertisements. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned (1:1) to a mobile peer recovery support intervention utilizing a novel smartphone-based app or to a control. Participants will complete 1 baseline survey and then a follow-up survey 1, 3, and 6 months after randomization. The primary aim of recovery capital will be determined by the change in recovery capital between study groups over the 6-month study period. We will also examine treatment engagement by using administrative data from a subset of individuals (n=650) residing in Rhode Island and Indiana.

 Results

As of June 2022, we enrolled 43 participants.

 Conclusions

If this mobile app demonstrates efficacy among a large national sample of patients, it has the potential to augment existing treatment programs, improve recovery capital, and reduce the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on this vulnerable population.

 Conflicts of Interest

None declared.

 Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05405712; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05405712

 opioid use disorder mobile application peer recovery