Article type
Year
Abstract
Background:
There are some interventions, where the published data is already out of date. The rapidly evolving field of digital interventions is one such example. In order to address this challenge and to inform the future funding priorities of our commissioners, we adopted a horizon scanning approach, which due to limited time frames was one that had to be undertaken rapidly. This case study illustrates the approach we used to meet these objectives.
Objectives:
The review objectives were:
1. To identify and describe innovations and newly emerging digital interventions that can be used to reduce alcohol related harm.
2. To consider how these compare with existing digital interventions.
3. To identify potential gaps in the types of digital interventions that are being developed or subjected to rigorous evaluation.
Methods:
We conducted a rapid horizon scanning review of the published and grey literature on digital interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm covering the period January 2017 to April 2019. We used and updated an existing search strategy from a relevant Cochrane review. The 'grey literature' search was informed by the horizon scanning methods by HTA organisations (CADTH, AHRQ) and our search included trial registries, grants awarded, patents, new alerts and app stores. We used a narrative approach to data analysis
Results:
Over 150 published studies, 32 registered trials, five patents, and 276 apps were included in the review.
Populations that are most at risk of alcohol-related harm have been understudied relative to community-dwelling and student populations. There were notable recent trends for digital interventions to be increasingly delivered via the internet and smartphone apps, sometimes in combination with biosensors, and for interventions for delivery in clinical and primary prevention settings. Alcohol reduction apps available on the app stores may increasingly be using interactive features rather than simply providing information.
Conclusions:
This is an active and rapidly evolving field of research and technological development. It is important to develop and evaluate digital interventions for populations that are most at risk of alcohol-related harm and use a range of research methods to evaluate newly emerging digital technologies. It is also important to ensure that the features of effective digital interventions are identified, and consider how these might differ depending on the population that is receiving the intervention. Given the speed of development in this field there is a need to keep the evidence base regularly updated and a 'living systematic review' may be way forward providing a high quality, online summary of health research which is updated as new research becomes available.
Patient or healthcare consumer involvement:
This project was funded by an independent charity, healthcare consumers were involved in designing the protocol and in the dissemination of the results of the report.
There are some interventions, where the published data is already out of date. The rapidly evolving field of digital interventions is one such example. In order to address this challenge and to inform the future funding priorities of our commissioners, we adopted a horizon scanning approach, which due to limited time frames was one that had to be undertaken rapidly. This case study illustrates the approach we used to meet these objectives.
Objectives:
The review objectives were:
1. To identify and describe innovations and newly emerging digital interventions that can be used to reduce alcohol related harm.
2. To consider how these compare with existing digital interventions.
3. To identify potential gaps in the types of digital interventions that are being developed or subjected to rigorous evaluation.
Methods:
We conducted a rapid horizon scanning review of the published and grey literature on digital interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm covering the period January 2017 to April 2019. We used and updated an existing search strategy from a relevant Cochrane review. The 'grey literature' search was informed by the horizon scanning methods by HTA organisations (CADTH, AHRQ) and our search included trial registries, grants awarded, patents, new alerts and app stores. We used a narrative approach to data analysis
Results:
Over 150 published studies, 32 registered trials, five patents, and 276 apps were included in the review.
Populations that are most at risk of alcohol-related harm have been understudied relative to community-dwelling and student populations. There were notable recent trends for digital interventions to be increasingly delivered via the internet and smartphone apps, sometimes in combination with biosensors, and for interventions for delivery in clinical and primary prevention settings. Alcohol reduction apps available on the app stores may increasingly be using interactive features rather than simply providing information.
Conclusions:
This is an active and rapidly evolving field of research and technological development. It is important to develop and evaluate digital interventions for populations that are most at risk of alcohol-related harm and use a range of research methods to evaluate newly emerging digital technologies. It is also important to ensure that the features of effective digital interventions are identified, and consider how these might differ depending on the population that is receiving the intervention. Given the speed of development in this field there is a need to keep the evidence base regularly updated and a 'living systematic review' may be way forward providing a high quality, online summary of health research which is updated as new research becomes available.
Patient or healthcare consumer involvement:
This project was funded by an independent charity, healthcare consumers were involved in designing the protocol and in the dissemination of the results of the report.