Research and Engagement on Substance use Harnessing Awareness and Personalized Education (RESHAPE)

Evidation Health, Inc., Menlo Park CA

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this project is to develop a digital product addressing the health-related social needs (HRSN) impacting substance use disorder (SUD). Evidation proposes the formative research, development, and large-scale deployment of a new digital experience (“journey”) called Research and Engagement on Substance use Harnessing Awareness and Personalized Education (RESHAPE) to improve well-being and self-efficacy for individuals with suspected or self-reported SUD (hereafter "individuals with SUD") and HRSN barriers (housing instability, food insecurity, transportation, utility needs, and personal safety) to SUD recovery. SUD-related morbidity and mortality result in significant societal costs that could be offset by a digital solution that is accessible and low- or no-cost and addresses key HRSN impacting SUD recovery. HRSN, SUD, and other mental health disorders are highly interdependent, making it challenging to systematically promote care-seeking. Furthermore, barriers to diagnosis, treatment, and recovery are heterogeneous, influenced by daily lived experiences in local communities, such as healthcare accessibility and stigma. The major dimensions supporting SUD recovery are physical and emotional health, the ability to participate in society, home, and community. Thus, health engagement interventions (self-reflection and education) focusing on physical activity, self-efficacy, and emotional well-being contribute to overall health and SUD recovery. Digital technologies, including mobile apps, offer a convenient, location-agnostic method to provide education, personalized insights, and nudges toward care across a typically non-linear, challenging SUD experience. However, gaps exist in currently available digital technologies for SUD+HRSN. Evidation’s approach for RESHAPE combines visible, episodic (“snapshot-in-time”) data from claims and EHR in traditional care settings with invisible, continuous (“daily life”) data collected directly from individuals through ePROs, online surveys, and wearable data—through a no-cost, tailored digital journey. Continuous real-world data (RWD) provide an innovative opportunity to improve our understanding of the intersection between SUD and HRSN and accelerate research to discover and develop new products that address SUD and HRSN. Using a 2-phase approach, Evidation will collaboratively design (with individuals with SUD), develop, and commercialize RESHAPE to utilize education and self-reflection to improve the well-being and self-efficacy of individuals with SUD and HRSN barriers. Phase 1 aims to understand the needs of members with SUD and HSRN by conducting participant-focused formative research to assess the value and utility of specific proposed components within RESHAPE. This information will serve as the foundation for interventional program development, RESHAPE launch within the Evidation platform, and further evaluation by the Evidation team as well as participants of the program in Phase 2, which will conclude with a market-ready program for life sciences and health care customers to leverage for research to help address HRSN impacting SUD recovery. 1