A-CHESS Research: What helps organizations implement a mobile app for recovery support?

Addiction CHESS (A-CHESS) is a smartphone application for preventing relapse among people leaving treatment for alcohol or other drug dependence. The app was developed by the Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies, the UW-Madison based research center that also houses NIATx. 

A-CHESS features include discussion groups, recovery information, personal stories, a sobriety counter, a daily reminder, a weekly check-in, and access to a support network.

A-CHESS is just one of the many emerging smartphone applications now available.  From 2011 to 2015, a group of addiction treatment organizations tested its feasibility as members of the CHESS Health Education Consortium.

A recent paper by Sarah Lord, PhD, of Dartmouth College describes some of the factors that either helped or hindered use of A-CHESS in four of the Consortium organizations. Susan Dinauer, researcher at the Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies, and Kimberly Johnson, former Co-Deputy Director of NIATx, are co-authors of the article. 

Factors that helped with implementing A-CHESS included the organization’s comfort with technology, beliefs about substance use disorder treatment, and awareness of patient needs and resources. External policies and regulations about technology-based treatment and recovery services emerged as barriers to implementation.  

Read the complete article:

Implementation of a Substance Use Recovery Support Mobile Phone App in Community Settings: Qualitative Study of Clinician and Staff Perspectives of Facilitators and Barriers