Clinical Research Directory

Brief Intervention at Adult Education

Many Americans fail to receive their high school diploma. Individuals enrolled in Adult Education classes have exited the K-12 education system without a high school diploma. This reduces their access to economic resources, heightens their risk for poverty and poor health, limits their ability to meet occupational and social expectations of adult life, and exacerbates their stress. Behavioral health (i.e., depression, anxiety, anger, substance use) is implicated in K-12 school failure, as it negatively impacts students' acquisition of academic skills and their achievement of educational and vocational goals. Students enrolled in Adult Education Centers (AECs) are often ignored in most analyses that explore how behavioral health issues impact students' general functioning and academic outcomes, even though behavioral health challenges in AECs may be greater than that in the general population. AECs are ill equipped to address students' behavioral health challenges. Few evidence-based, behavioral health interventions are currently deployed in AECs that target the behavioral health challenges AEC students may experience. Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), often informed by Motivational Interviewing (MI), positively impacts health outcomes. Positive outcomes are associated with the successful screening and referral to behavioral health services. In turn, these behavioral health improvements may also help to facilitate positive academic results for impacted AEC students. Implementation Facilitation is a promising strategy for ensuring the successful implementation of SBIRT in AECs. Guided by the integrated-Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) framework, the investigators propose an R34 project to: 1) conduct an iterative, mixed methods formative evaluation approach to identify barriers and facilitators of SBIRT implementation in AECs and tailor an Implementation Facilitation strategy to support the delivery of SBIRT to AEC students by SRSs; and 2) examine the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness of Implementation Facilitation to promote the use of SBIRT by SRSs with AEC students.

Evaluating the Acceptability, Feasibility and Usability of Various Conversational Data Collection Software

This research study is being conducted to evaluate digital software tools that collect health information through conversations. The study will test how acceptable, feasible, and usable these conversational software programs are for patients with chronic pain. Purpose of the Study: The goal is to understand whether digital conversational tools can effectively gather biopsychosocial information (biological, psychological, and social factors related to health) from patients experiencing chronic pain. Biopsychosocial information includes details about your physical symptoms, emotional well-being, social circumstances, and how these factors interact to affect your health. These digital tools are designed to have conversation-like interactions with patients to collect this comprehensive health data in a more natural and engaging way. What Participation Involves: If you join this study, you will interact with digital conversational software that will ask you questions about your health, pain experience, and related factors. The software is designed to communicate with you in a conversational manner, similar to talking with a healthcare provider, to gather information about your condition. You will be asked about various aspects of your chronic pain experience, including how it affects your daily life, your emotional state, and your social interactions. Who Can Participate: This study is looking for participants who have chronic pain conditions. Medical providers who treat patients with chronic pain are encouraged to refer eligible patients to this study. Healthcare providers interested in referring patients or learning more about the study can contact the study sponsor, AugMend Health Inc. Why This Research Matters: Chronic pain affects millions of people and understanding the full scope of how it impacts patients requires collecting detailed information about physical, psychological, and social factors. Traditional methods of collecting this information can be time-consuming and may not capture the complete picture. Digital conversational tools offer a potential new approach to gathering comprehensive health information in a more efficient and patient-friendly manner. This research will evaluate whether patients find these tools acceptable to use, whether they work practically in real-world clinical settings, and whether they are user-friendly and accessible for people with chronic pain. Study Location: The study is being conducted at AugMend Health in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Study Sponsor: This study is sponsored by AugMend Health Inc. Healthcare providers or potential participants who would like more information about the study or wish to make a referral can contact AugMend Health Inc. Participation in this study is voluntary, and you can choose to stop participating at any time without affecting your regular medical care.