Addiction journal
Addiction journal
Cannabis and apps with Marleen Olthof and Matthijs Blankers
Cannabis and apps with Marleen Olthof and Matthijs Blankers
Cannabis and apps with Marleen Olthof and Matthijs Blankers
Thursday 29th June 2023
Learn about the ICan app's role in reducing cannabis use through digital health interventions, featuring insights from Marleen Olthof and Dr. Matthijs Blankers.
30 minutes
Informative
Empowering
Thought-provoking
Educational
Supportive
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Episode Overview
- Digital interventions offer accessibility and potential benefits over face-to-face interventions, addressing the treatment gap for cannabis use disorder.
- The ICANN app provides personalized plans, motivational interviewing, and CBT techniques to aid cannabis users in reducing or quitting cannabis use.
- Challenges in digital interventions include the need for user engagement, guidance, and maintaining participant retention in clinical trials.
- Future research aims to explore personalization and user subgroup identification for better intervention outcomes.
- The episode highlights the importance of pre-registration, open science principles, and methodological considerations in digital intervention research.
Well, I think digital interventions have a lot of benefits over face-to-face interventions. But I think the most important benefit is that they are very easily accessible. So we know that there is a large treatment gap when it comes to cannabis use disorder. So that means that most people with cannabis use disorder, they do not seek treatment. And they can have a variety of reasons for not seeking treatment. For example, because they think that treatment is not necessary or they prefer to do it on their own or with the help from friends or family or they're not aware of the different treatment options available. And I think especially for those people, digital intervention can be a great solution because it's a much smaller step to sign up for a digital intervention than to enter treatment.
Ever thought an app could help someone cut down on cannabis use? In this episode of Addiction Audio, Dr. Rob Calder sits down with Marleen Olthof and Dr. Matthijs Blankers to discuss their innovative research into ICan, a digital health app designed for just that purpose. The conversation kicks off with a look at the growing role of digital interventions in health and how they can offer a more accessible alternative to traditional treatment methods.
As Marleen puts it, 'It’s a much smaller step to sign up for a digital intervention than to enter treatment'. They dive into the complexities of running a single-blind randomized controlled trial and the unique challenges that come with researching digital apps. Matthijs shares insights on pre-registration and open science principles, emphasizing how these practices benefit researchers throughout their studies.
If you're curious about the intersection of technology and addiction recovery, this episode is packed with fascinating findings and practical implications for the future.