Can your phone help you cut back on drugs? new study says maybe.
NCT ID NCT04935606
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 31, 2026 · Updated 4 times
Summary
This study tests whether a mobile phone app that tracks drug use and gives feedback can help people reduce risky drug use over 12 months. About 458 adults from community health centers in Southern California are taking part. They are split into three groups: one gets the mobile app plus brief counseling, one gets only brief counseling, and one gets usual care. The goal is to see if the app makes the counseling more effective and lasting.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- mobile phone self-monitoring and feedback (behavioral intervention)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a scalable, low-cost way to help people reduce risky drug use and improve health outcomes in primary care.
- What could go wrong
- This is a behavioral intervention study, not a drug trial, so results depend on participant engagement. The effects may be modest and not generalize to all populations.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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457 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2021
- Finished
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Jun 2026
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients 18 years old and older receiving care at study clinics. * Have a phone number at which they can be contacted over time during the study (to conduct follow-up health education phone calls). * Have a primary care visit with a regular clinic provider on the date of recruitment and enrollment. * English or Spanish-speaking. * ASSIST score between 4 and 26 indicating risky (moderate) drug use, and used the substance in the past 30 days. * Able (not cognitively impaired) and willing to cooperate with data collection and research procedures, including and 2-week, 6-week, and 3, 6, 12-month follow-up assessments. * Planning to be in the Los Angeles area for the next 12 months so they can complete the study period. Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy: Women who report being pregnant at the time of randomization will be excluded from participation. This latter exclusion criterion is based on the following reasons: (a) The interaction of drug use (in any amount) and fetal-maternal health is physiologically complex and beyond the scope of this proposed intervention. (b) Drug users who are pregnant are considered high-risk pregnancies. * Repeaters: All patients will be asked a set of repeater questions. This includes a question on whether they have ever been involved in our UCLA study at the clinic before. We will create a unique identifier based on a set of questions that we have used in our prior studies that combines aspects about the potential subject (mother's first name, father's first name, month and day of birth) that will screen them out if they screen again in the future. * ASSIST Score above 26 indicating high use and potential serious SUD needing referral to specialty treatment: The RA will receive a message that the subject scored 27+ on alcohol or any drugs on the WHO ASSIST (i.e. indication of possible severe substance use disorder). The RA will inform the patient that they are at risk for certain health behaviors and ask the patient if they want to disclose this information to their doctor. If they agree to disclose information to their doctor then we will fill out a letter informing the doctor of patient's potential more serious substance use disorder. We will also provide the patient with a list of local substance use disorder treatment referrals. * ASSIST Score below 4 (low use): These patients are not eligible for enrollment in the trial. * Subject Enrolled in a Substance Use Treatment Program: Subjects enrolled in a treatment program are excluded from the study.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Saban Community Clinic
Los Angeles, California, 90038, United States
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South Central Family Health Clinic
Los Angeles, California, 90011, United States
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The Children's Clinic (TCC) Family Health
Long Beach, California, 90806, United States
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UMMA Community Clinic
Los Angeles, California, 90044, United States
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Wesley Health Centers
Los Angeles, California, 90013, United States
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