Work

Evaluating real-time internet therapy and online self-help for problematic alcohol consumers: a three-arm RCT protocol

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Only a minority of all alcohol- and drug abusers is receiving professional care. In an attempt to narrow this treatment gap, treatment facilities experiment with online healthcare. Therefore, it is important to test the (cost-)effectiveness of online health interventions in a randomized clinical trial. METHODS: This paper presents the protocol of a three-arm randomized clinical trial to test the (cost-) effectiveness of online treatment for problem drinkers. Self-help online, therapy online and a waiting list are tested against each other. Primary outcome is change in alcohol consumption. Secondary outcome measures include quality of life and working ability. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for self-help online alcohol and therapy online alcohol will be calculated. The predictive validity of participant characteristics on treatment adherence and outcome will be explored. DISCUSSION: To our best knowledge, this randomized clinical trial will be the first to test the effectiveness of therapy online against both self-help online and a waiting-list. It will provide evidence on (cost-) effectiveness of online treatment for problem drinkers and investigate outcome predictors. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered in the Dutch Trialregister (Cochrane Collaboration) and traceable as NTR-TC1155.

Source: BMC Public Health

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-9-16

Authors: Matthijs Blankers, Maarten Koeter, Gerard M Schippers

Institutions: Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Addiction Research, University of Amsterdam

Language: English

Topic: Digital Mental Health Interventions

Subfield: Applied Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,290