A smartphone app for substance use disorders
Date
2019
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
As the number of people suffering from Substance Use Disorder(SUD) increases yearly, the government and related organizations established various resources for the prevention and treatment of SUD. Nevertheless, they have encountered the challenge that most people who needed medical help did not receive it due to the difficulties in finding appropriate resources. With the convenience brought by smartphones and handheld devices, the mobile application can construct a platform which connects patients to the SUD services. ☐ To assist in solving this problem, we developed a GIS-based smartphone app, HeNN, which provides an interactive platform for SUD patients, their families and friends, resource providers in Delaware as well as surrounding areas. HeNN’s user interface was built based on Flutter, and its backend services leveraged Flutter plugins for Google Map Platform, Google Calendar API, Firebase API. ☐ The project is expected to make impacts. For SUD patients and their families, HeNN categorizes local services as well as upcoming events and provides all detailed information with distances and directions according to user’s preference. For providers and policy-makers, HeNN establishes a peer network by allowing users to leave comments on resources. Through the potential analysis for reviews and the usage of app components, we present the feedback for the utilization and effectiveness of services.