The potential of e-Health for treatment and prevention for drug dependence process of development and revision of web-based relapse prevention program "e-SMARPP".

Abstract

e-Health is the use of information and communication technologies for health, such as in patient-treatment programs, education for health care professionals, and monitoring public health. Web-/Internet-based programs, mobile applications, and wearable devices have been developed and adapted to various diseases and are now increasingly used to promote individual self-care of health. In the field of addiction, there has been a gap between potential treatment needs and available treatment services, and as such, it is necessary to develop new treatments that- are flexible and accessible. The authors developed a web-based relapse prevention program prototype dalled -"e-SMARPP" for drug users in Japan and assessed usability. Qualitative comments from pilot study participants were assessed in detail.-The authors found areas for improvement based on participant comments and revised e-SMARPP. The main areas identified for improvement included: 1) simplify video content regarding prelease prevention sessions, 2) refine the self-monitoring calendar to monitor various health-related conditions, and 3) revise glitches that occurred when used with a smartphone. In developing an e-health program, it is important to consider commeits from targeted users to make the program user-friendly and effective.