Primrose Healthcare has launched an alcohol app, powered by Here and Now System, designed to help hepatitis C patients overcome alcohol addiction by providing personalized education and resources through goal setting, alerts, coaching, and ongoing feedback to better engage and support patients with alcohol addiction issues.

“The app addresses a need for an approach to hepatitis C treatment that focuses on the overall health of the patient, including comorbidities or any substance abuse issues that may be present,” said Henri Cournand, CEO of Primrose Healthcare.

Alcohol abuse in hepatitis C patients, who already have a compromised liver, effects as many as 3.5 million patients.Using the mobile technology, the app is designed to enhance awareness of drinking and related problems, assist in goal setting and help manage triggers using “in-the-moment” tools. Patients are able to input the days and times when they typically drink and the app then sends them alerts and instruction on doing something besides drinking during those times. The app also has a “in-the-moment” tool that helps users manage cravings wherever and whenever they occur, when a patient is craving a drink the app provides research-based help functions to manage the urge and avoid drinking.

As an extra layer of support the app also checks in with the patient daily and provides a weekly progress report that can be shared with a friend, family member or health care provider, as well as offer an incentive in the form of a goal patients are able to reach and encourages rewards for meeting it.

Patients who used the app to stop drinking saw a 29 percent reduction in risk for either a liver-related event or in-hospital death when compared to those who continued to drink, according to an EASL study.

“The app was developed based on decades of research on effective interventions and our research into its effectiveness has been very promising,” said Patrick Dulin, PhD, founder of Here and Now Systems. “People who used the prototype app for only six weeks cut down the days they spent engaged in heavy drinking by 60 percent and reduced their overall number of drinks consumed by over 50 percent.”

For physicians, the app provides a tool that aids in bridging the gap between behavioral health and physical care. Gastroenterologists are able to prescribe the app as an additional support system and can be combined with referrals to more behavioral health services such as a psychiatrist or support group. The physician is also able to monitoring the patient’s use of the app and provide encouragement as needed.

“Everyone has a phone these days and it makes sense to leverage mobile technology in caring for patients,” Cournand said. “Health care providers should consider finding a way to leverage this highly effective, yet low cost technology, that works to better engage patients and improve health.”