Can a phone app help pregnant women stick with addiction treatment?
NCT ID NCT06999811
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a special therapy program with a mobile app helps pregnant people stay on their buprenorphine medication for opioid use disorder, compared to just logging their doses. About 37 pregnant women will be randomly assigned to either the app-based therapy or daily medication tracking. The goal is to see if the extra support improves treatment retention and engagement.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- behavioral intervention (EMPWR) with mobile app
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that a therapy app plus counseling helps pregnant people stick with their opioid treatment, improving health for mother and baby.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early feasibility study (37 people), so results may not apply widely. The therapy is extra work and may not improve retention over simple monitoring.
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
-
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
-
About 37 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
-
Oct 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
18 to 45 years
- Sex
-
Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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: * currently pregnant and between 13 weeks and 0 days to 32 weeks and 6 days gestational age * current OUD or history of OUD within past 3 years * confirmed prescription for sublingual buprenorphine products (i.e., Suboxone, Subutex, Zubsolv) for the purpose of treating OUD * living in the United States * between 18-45 years of age Exclusion Criteria: * carrying multiples * high-risk pregnancies including the following conditions: active hyperemesis at the time of consent or hospitalization for intractable nausea and vomiting in the current pregnancy, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (e.g., gestational hypertension, preeclampsia), placenta previa, or vaginal bleeding in current pregnancy after the first trimester * current psychotic symptoms and/or active suicidal intent * experiencing cognitive or emotional impairment that precludes providing informed consent * incarcerated/pending incarceration or institutionalized during the study period * non-English speaking.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Opioid use disorder are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Medical University of South Carolina
RECRUITINGCharleston, South Carolina, 29403, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can exercise boost brain and body health during opioid treatment?
- How much lidocaine reaches a newborn during an urgent C-Section?
- Can a new drug calm the storm of opioid withdrawal?
- Could pregnant patients skip clinic visits and monitor their baby from home?
- Can a video session get pregnant women to seek more health care?
- Can coaching turn rural clinics into One-Stop shops for addiction and infectious disease care?