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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT06845878

A Chatbot To Support Substance Use Recovery

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

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Key information

Conditions

Opiate-related Disorders Opiate Substitution Treatment

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 1 / Phase 2

Primary location

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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

Treatment and study plan

chatbot

Other

Participants will:

  • Participate in a baseline session to complete an initial survey and get trained on using the chatbot
  • Use the chatbot for 12 weeks and submit a brief weekly survey to provide feedback
  • Complete a final survey to provide substance use and health information as well as give feedback on the experience using the chatbot
  • Allow access to a limited set of demographic, substance use and health information in electronic health record for study analyses and context.

Other names: Suzy, conversational agent

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in SUD severity

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Addiction Severity Index (ASI) Drugs composite score; Scored 0-7 with higher scores indicating increasing severity

  2. Change in psychological health (Anxiety)

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7); scored 0-21 with higher scores indicating increasing anxiety

  3. Change in psychological health (Depression)

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8); scored 0-24 with higher scores indicating more severe depression

  4. Change in self-efficacy for managing chronic conditions (Emotions)

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    PROMIS Short Form 8a (Managing Emotions); scored from 8-40 with higher scores indicating higher confidence managing emotions

  5. Change in self-efficacy for managing chronic conditions (Social Interactions)

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    PROMIS Short Form 8a (Social Interactions); scored from 8-40 with higher scores indicating higher confidence with managing social interactions

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in quality of life

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoL-BREF) Assessment; higher scores indicate higher quality of life

  2. Change in social needs

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Accountable Health Communities Health-Related Social Needs (AHC HRSN) screening; higher scores indicate higher unmet social needs

  3. Chatbot usability

    Time frame: End of 12 week intervention

    Chatbot Usability Questionnaire (CUQ); scored 0-100 with higher scores indicating higher usability

  4. User Satisfaction

    Time frame: End of 12 week intervention

    Net Promoter Score (NPS); scored -100 to 100 with higher scores indicating higher user satisfaction

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Dimagi Inc.

Industry

Collaborators

  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  • University of California, Los Angeles

Registry information

Official study title

A Conversational Agent To Support Follow-up Care For Individuals In Recovery For Substance Use Disorder

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Feb 25, 2025
Registry last updated
Jul 27, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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