Mogk J, Idu AE, Bobb JF, et al. Prescription Digital Therapeutics for Substance Use Disorder in Primary Care: Mixed Methods Evaluation of a Pilot Implementation Study. JMIR Form Res. 2024;8:e59088. doi:10.2196/59088
This pilot study reported the data from two primary care clinics where digital therapeutics were implemented ahead of the larger Digital Therapeutics for Opioids and Other SUDs (DIGITS) trial. In this pilot, two clinics of varying sizes were selected to analyze the implementation of the reSET prescription digital therapeutic. Clinic A had a total of 1,256 patients, 12 of whom were prescribed the reSET (or reSET-O if the SUD was opioid specific). In Clinic B, 6 of 296 patients were prescribed the digital therapeutic. A comprehensive implementation strategy was used that included a 2-hour training session for clinicians, regular quality improvement meetings, a digital implementation Toolkit, and EHR tools were all used. In addition, practice facilitation (clinician-facing) and health coaching (patient-facing) strategies were used. All prescriptions for reSET(O) were entered and monitored by licensed independent clinical social workers (LICSWs). Primary barriers were a lack of staff and high turnover rates, competing priorities where digital therapeutics were not the top priority, difficulties with awareness and early-stage technical challenges, having too many steps in the referral and download process, and difficulty getting patients to engage with the commitment necessary for the program. Primary facilitators were the audit and feedback reports provided by practice facilitators, higher rates of quality improvement meetings that included collaborative problem-solving, and accessing digital resources.