Advancing Scalable Alcohol Brief Interventions in the ED: A Trial of Conversational AI With Digital Reinforcements

N/ANot Yet RecruitingNCT07661563

Stanford University750 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a novel digital strategy combining a generative AI counseling agent (MICA) and weekly SMS boosters works to reduce risky drinking among Emergency Department patients.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

750

Conditions

Alcohol Misuse

Interventions

MICABEHAVIORAL

MICA is an AI chatbot that uses a secure API with ChatGPT and prompted to follow MI principles to support individuals in exploring and resolving ambivalence about their alcohol use. MICA follows a predefined conversational framework and steps: introduction, engagement, focusing, evoking, planning, and closing-adapted from Miller \& Rollnick's Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change (3rd ed.).

TRACBEHAVIORAL

Weekly SMS check-ins designed to support goal-setting, self-monitoring, and adaptive self-regulation strategies. Beginning the Sunday after enrollment, participants will engage with an automated SMS program once weekly for 12 weeks. Prompts include reporting on the past week's alcohol use and whether they are willing to commit to a drinking limit goal for the upcoming week. Responses trigger tailored feedback.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 65 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. For men: 1+ days with 5 or more drinks OR any week with 14+ drinks/week in the past 3 months 2. For women: 1+ days with 4 or more drinks OR any week with 7+ drinks/week in the past 3 months 3. Owns a mobile phone 4. Reads English language Exclusion Criteria: 1. For women: current or planned pregnancy in next 12 months 2. Prisoner or active military status

Locations (1)

Stanford University Medical Center

Palo Alto, California, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Mean weekly alcohol consumption

Participants report (1) the average number of days per week they consumed alcohol and (2) the typical number of standard drinks consumed on a drinking day. Estimated weekly alcohol consumption will be calculated as: Mean weekly drinks = (average drinking days per week) × (typical drinks per drinking day)

Time frame: Baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups

Secondary Outcomes

Number of heavy drinking days

Asking participants: "Over the past 30 days, how many days did you have 4+ standard drinks (women) / 5+ standard drinks (men)?"

Time frame: Baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups

Number of drinks per drinking day

Asking participants, "Over the past 30 days, on a typical drinking day, how many drinks did you have?"

Time frame: Baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.