Technology Assisted Motivational Interviewing

The registry criteria, word for word

What the trial wants to find out

Building on our successful pilot work to develop a Motivational Interviewing (MI)-capable chatbot and cessation coach, the investigators propose to address the problems of intrinsic motivation and social barriers to smoking cessation by evaluating a highly scalable and easily accessible digital-coaching intervention that 1) promotes readiness to change using a technology-assisted MI (TAMI) chatbot, 2) provides compelling and accessible multilingual education about smoking cessation tools, and 3) develops a tailored quit plan addressing social barriers to treatment initiation and sustainment.

The 2 groups in the trial

• Technology Assisted Motivational Interviewing (TAMI)Treatment being tested

  Individuals randomized to TAMI will interact with the fully automated, web-based MI-chatbot for the 6-month study period. Patients who continue to smoke will receive up to two text messages per week with the chatbot URL link to initiate additional conversations always beginning with an assessment of readiness to change but "remembering" prior conversations much like a clinician. Individuals in the preparation stage will move directly to EBP education, tailoring a quit plan and boosting both self-efficacy and outcome expectancies. Patients with sufficient confidence will be encouraged to set a quit date. Patients will be encouraged to include their PCP and/or state quitline. TAMI will provide support proximal to the quit date including guidance through common obstacles. TAMI will check back to assess treatment initiation, treatment sustainment (and/or cessation), or relapse. Patients who are unable to quit (or who relapse) will be encouraged to restart conversations with TAMI.

  Treatment: TAMI Coach

• Usual CareNo study treatment, for comparison

  Individuals randomized to the Usual Care (UC) condition will receive a detailed educational handout on the health risks associated with smoking and information on Evidence Based Practice's (EBP) for cessation using the standard "Kick-It California" materials. Additional materials and referral resources regarding depression, stress, and other common barriers will be provided to all UC participants. Any UC individual can choose to quit at any time but they will not have access to TAMI. While this is not an "active" treatment condition, the handout and recurring assessments (at 3 and 6mo) may serve as reminders about the importance of quitting and may assist with finding support for co-occurring conditions or social needs.