Smartphone-based help to stop drinking alongside liver clinic care
Testing an mHealth System for Integrating Alcohol Use Treatment with Hepatology Care for Patients with Alcohol-associated Liver Disease
This project uses a smartphone app plus liver-clinic support to help people with alcohol-associated liver disease reduce or stop drinking.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11167692 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You'll be asked to join a randomized program that connects a smartphone app called CHESS Health Connections with your hepatology or ALD clinic visits. Some participants will get the app plus coordinated support from the liver-care team while others receive usual care, and researchers will compare drinking, liver health, and how well the program works in clinics. The app includes tools for tracking drinking, managing cravings, and linking to counseling and resources, while clinic staff help with referrals and follow-up. The goal is to see if adding phone-based support to routine liver care increases access to alcohol treatment and lowers alcohol use in people with ALD.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults diagnosed with alcohol-associated liver disease who receive care in hepatology or multidisciplinary ALD clinics, have access to a smartphone, and are willing to try app-based support to reduce alcohol use.
Not a fit: People without a smartphone or reliable internet, those not drinking alcohol, or patients who need immediate inpatient detox or who have severe cognitive impairment may not benefit from this app-based program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help more people with alcohol-related liver disease stop or reduce drinking and improve liver health by linking treatment directly to liver clinics.
How similar studies have performed: The CHESS Health Connections app reduced risky drinking in a prior randomized trial of people with severe alcohol use disorder, and integrated alcohol treatment in hepatology settings has shown promise, but few randomized trials have tested this exact approach in ALD patients.
Where this research is happening
Madison, United States
- University of Wisconsin-Madison — Madison, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Quanbeck, Andrew — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: Quanbeck, Andrew
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.