Virtual care to help adults get treatment for alcohol use disorder
Leveraging virtual care strategies to improve access and treatment for individuals with alcohol use disorders
This project offers phone calls, video visits, and patient-portal messages to help adults with alcohol use disorder start and stay in treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11393561 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be an adult with alcohol use disorder who is contacted through your health system using portal messages or phone calls to help you connect to care. People are randomly assigned to different first-step outreach options and, if those do not work, may be switched to other virtual approaches like video therapy or more intensive phone support. The team will track whether these virtual sequences get people into treatment and reduce drinking over time. The goal is to find the best order of remote options that helps most people engage in care.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults (21 and older) with unhealthy alcohol use or diagnosed alcohol use disorder who receive care in the health system and can use a phone, video visits, or a patient portal are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People without reliable phone/internet access, those needing immediate in-person medical detox or urgent psychiatric care, or those unable to use the portal or video technology may not benefit from these virtual options.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make it much easier for people with AUD to begin treatment from home and reduce barriers like distance and stigma.
How similar studies have performed: Telehealth adaptations of motivational interviewing and CBT have helped people with substance use and mental health needs, but using stepped virtual outreach specifically to start AUD treatment is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bonar, Erin E. — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Bonar, Erin E.
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.