DEVELOPMENT AND UPTAKE OF A MOBILE-APP FOR CONGRESS 60 RECOVERY EDUCATIONS

Background and Aim : Congress 60 is a recovery organization which provide free of charge, mutual help group meetings for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) and their family members, while patients are receiving stepped, gradual dose reduction opium tincture-assisted treatment in drug treatment clinics. Patients and the family members participating in recovery program should receive written materials, as well as weekly educational audio files on addiction and its recovery and to discuss it in their groups. These audio files were distributing through CDs across the Congress 60’ branches over the country. During recent years using smartphone substantially increased in Iran. Smartphones are hand-held computers which allow using software for different purposes. In 2018, congress 60 lunched a project to provide access to its educational resources using a mobile application. The aim of this study is to present development and uptake of the application between Congress 60 members.Methods : A mobile app designed as an online market which provide online access to Congress 60 educational materials using both Andorids and iOS smartphones. The pilot phase of the application was initiated in the main branch of Congress in October 10, 2018. In November 13, 2018. Congress 60 asked all branches to invite their members to install and start replacing CDs with mobile app. Data were extracted from the app server. Results : During 32 weeks from October 2018 to June 2019, 19549 people installed app on their smartphones (13803 male patients, 5009 female patients, 110 male family members & 476 female family members). Total number of successful audio file buying was 251119 (male patients: 179263, female patients 61335, male family members 1359 & female family members 7995). During 32 weeks period an increasing trend in number of people who installed and replaced app with CD was observed.Conclusion : A recovery educational app almost completely substituted the traditional system of distribution of educational materials using CD in congress 60. The app also decreased the cost of each educational file by half. Mobile phone application could be an acceptable and viable means of increasing access to recovery educational materials for people with OUD and their family members participating in Congress 60 recovery program.

کلیدواژه ها:

Mobile applications ، Rehabilitation ، Recovery ، Self-Help Groups