The daily progress system - a recovery support tool to improve engagement and retention in outpatient substance use treatment

BackgroundThis pilot proof-of-concept study examined the feasibility and acceptability of the Daily Progress System (DPS), a web-based platform designed to improve treatment engagement and retention among clients in outpatient substance use treatment.MethodsThe study included adults under justice supervision in the community (probation or parole) who were clients at an outpatient treatment program (N = 30; 60% males). Participants were instructed to utilize the DPS daily for 4 weeks. Incentives were paid to participants for using the platform. At the end of the study, they completed a post-satisfaction questionnaire.ResultsOf the 30 participants enrolled in the study, 28 (93.3%) completed the post-satisfaction questionnaire. Overall, they were extremely satisfied with the platform as 21/30 (70.0%) logged into the DPS on a daily basis and completed at least 15 daily surveys or more over the 30-day study period and 27/28 (96.5%) would recommend that the participating treatment program use the platform as part of treatment for other clients.ConclusionsThe DPS was well-utilized and perceived as valuable by this group of justice involved, low-income, underserved, and hard-to-reach individuals. Further research is needed to refine platform content and evaluate its ability to meaningfully enhance and extend the benefits of treatment.