# Development of a mobile harm reduction treatment for alcohol use disorder (mHaRT-A)

> **NIH NIH R41** · HART3S - A SOCIAL PURPOSE CORPORATION · 2024 · $369,597

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, deaths due to alcohol use spiked to 25% percent beyond its expected toll. It is
this ever-growing global burden of alcohol-related harm that has propelled our team to conduct over 15 years of
research to codevelop with people with AUD and then scientifically test a highly flexible, patient-driven, low-
barrier, in-person treatment known as harm-reduction treatment for alcohol use disorder (HaRT-A). HaRT-A
meets people where they are at to help them create goals around reducing alcohol-related harm and engage
safer-drinking strategies, even if they are not ready, willing or able to stop drinking. Findings from our recent,
NIH-funded randomized clinical trials have shown the efficacy of this low-barrier, in-person HaRT-A in reducing
heavy alcohol use and alcohol-related harm and in improving health-related quality of life, even in a population
that is socially marginalized and severely impacted by AUD. However, the vast majority of people with AUD --
approximately 93% in 2021 -- do not seek in-person treatment. Barriers to alcohol treatment attendance include
the high time and monetary cost of in-person treatment, its lack of patient-centeredness and flexibility, and the
stigma of others knowing one is in treatment. In addition, the pandemic made greater swaths of the general
public comfortable with digital technologies for health and treatment service provision. Thus, a mobile application
of HaRT-A could reduce barriers to help-seeking by creating easier access to evidence-based alcohol
interventions. In this STTR phase 1 application, we propose to develop and initially test a mobile application to
deliver the HaRT-A components (mHaRT-A) and thus address alcohol-related harm and AUD in a more
accessible and scalable as well as less costly and stigmatizing way. We plan to accomplish this goal by building
the mHaRT-A prototype with a human-centered design framework and then iteratively testing its usability,
feasibility and acceptability among people with AUD. Our Aim 1 milestone is a human-centered prototype of the
mHaRT-A progressive web application that will advance for usability testing in Aim 2. Our Aim 2 milestone is to
complete lab-based usability testing of the mHaRT-A and achieve a System Usability Scale score of 70 or
greater, which would indicate an adequate system. Our Aim 3 milestone is to test the feasibility and acceptability
of the high-fidelity mHaRT-a prototype and the planned STTR Phase 2 randomized clinical trial procedures as
demonstrated via adequate recruitment, retention and implementation of the planned procedures. Successful
completion of the STTR Phase 1 project will create the foundation for a well-powered STTR Phase 2 randomized
clinical trial testing mHaRT-A’s efficacy in reducing alcohol-related harm and improving health-related quality of
life. If successful, this overarching project will build an evidence base for the successful commercialization and
dissemination of mHaRT-A to p...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10820089
- **Project number:** 1R41AA031393-01
- **Recipient organization:** HART3S - A SOCIAL PURPOSE CORPORATION
- **Principal Investigator:** Susan Elizabeth Collins
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $369,597
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-03-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10820089

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10820089, Development of a mobile harm reduction treatment for alcohol use disorder (mHaRT-A) (1R41AA031393-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10820089. Licensed CC0.

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