NCT06732596

Sustaining Recovery for People on Opioid Agonist Treatment With Conversational Agents

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 100 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Boston Medical Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study aims to improve retention in buprenorphine treatment, a medication used for opioid use disorder, through the use of a smartphone-delivered recovery support intervention. The intervention involves an Embodied Conversational Agent (ECA), a virtual, animated computer agent designed to simulate natural face-to-face conversations. ECAs have been shown to help individuals manage their healthcare in other settings, and this study seeks to evaluate their potential in supporting patients on medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD).

Detailed description

One hundred participants will be enrolled in the study from the Office-Based Addiction Treatment (OBAT) clinic at Boston Medical Center (BMC). The participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. In the intervention group, participants will engage in ECA use and will receive (1) technical support, (2) text message reminders, and (3) monetary incentives. Alternatively, participants will be randomized to the treatment as usual group where they do not access the ECA application. Assessments will be conducted in person at baseline and over the phone at 6 months and 12 months. At 3 and 9 months, research staff will make brief telephone contacts to confirm or update participant contact information. The primary outcome is retention in buprenorphine treatment over 12 months.

Conditions

• Opioid Use Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Embodied conversational agent (ECA)	The app with the ECA will be provided.
OTHER	Technical support	Technical support will include assistance downloading and setting up the app on the participant's phone, walking them through a brief demonstration, and answering any questions the participant has about how to use the app.
OTHER	Additional ECA messages	Weekly text messages will be provided reminding participants to use the app on behalf of OBAT clinical staff.
OTHER	Additional incentives	Additional incentives will be provided after logging into the app for 20 days followed by monthly lotteries for those who log in 15 days per month

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-10-30
• Primary completion: 2026-12-01
• Completion: 2026-12-01
• First posted: 2024-12-13
• Last updated: 2025-11-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States