NGOs in development cooperation
to treat drug addiction
Virtual Digital Psychotherapist App–Based Treatment in Patients With Methamphetamine Use Disorder (Echo-APP): Single-Arm Pilot Feasibility and Efficacy Study
Background: Substance use disorder is one of the severe public health problems worldwide. Inequitable resources, discrimination, and physical distances limit patients’ access to medical help. Automated conversational agents have the potential to provide in-home and remote therapy. However, automatic dialogue agents mostly use text and other methods to interact, which affects the interaction experience, treatment immersion, and clinical efficacy.
Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the design and development of Echo-APP, a tablet-based app with the function of a virtual digital psychotherapist, and to conduct a pilot study to explore the feasibility and preliminary efficacy results of Echo-APP for patients with methamphetamine use disorder.
| Chen Tianzhen | -Shanghai Mental Health Center | |
| Zhao Min | Shanghai Mental Health Center | |
| et al. |
English