Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31477166›Full record

Trial reportTrials2019

Pragmatic randomised trial of a smartphone app (NRT2Quit) to improve effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapy in a quit attempt by improving medication adherence: results of a prematurely terminated study.

Aleksandra Herbec, Jamie Brown, Lion Shahab, Robert West, Tobias Raupach

Open access · goldAbstract readPragmatic Clinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Trials, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.

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  8. Attitudes and practices of health care providers towards improving adherence to smoking cessation medications in Australia: A descriptive study.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2023
    Article
  9. Development of "Baby, Me, & NRT": A Behavioral Intervention to Improve the Effectiveness of Nicotine Replacement Therapy in Pregnancy.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2023
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Aleksandra HerbecClinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, WC1E 6BT, London, UK. a.herbec@ucl.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3339-7214
Jamie BrownBehavioural Science and Health, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, WC1E 6BT, London, UK.
Lion ShahabBehavioural Science and Health, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, WC1E 6BT, London, UK.
Robert WestBehavioural Science and Health, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, WC1E 6BT, London, UK.
Tobias RaupachCentre for Behaviour Change, University College London, Room 353, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
University College London · GBNational Centre for Atmospheric Science · GB

Funding

Cancer Research UK 22962Medical Research Council MR/K023195/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNicotine replacement therapy (NRT) bought over the counter (OTC) appears to be largely ineffective for smoking cessation, which may be partially explained by poor adherence. We developed and evaluated the NRT2Quit smartphone app (for iOS) designed to improve quit attempts with OTC NRT by improving adherence to the medications.

methodsThis study was a pragmatic double-blind randomised controlled trial with remote recruitment through leaflets distributed to over 300 UK-based community pharmacies. The study recruited adult daily smokers (≥10 cigarettes per day) who bought NRT, wanted to quit smoking, downloaded NTR2Quit and completed the registration process within the app. Participants were automatically randomly assigned within the app to the intervention (full) version of NRT2Quit or to its control (minimal) versions. The primary outcome was biochemically verified 4-week abstinence assessed at 8-week follow-up using Russell Standard criteria and intention to treat. Bayes factors were calculated for the cessation outcome. Secondary outcomes were self-reported abstinence, NRT use, app use and satisfaction with the app.

resultsThe study under-recruited. Only 41 participants (3.5% of the target sample) were randomly assigned to NRT2Quit (n = 16) or the control (n = 25) app versions between March 2015 and September 2016. The follow-up rate was 51.2%. The intervention participants had numerically higher biochemically verified quit rates (25.0% versus 8.0%, P = 0.19, odds ratio = 3.83, 0.61-24.02). The calculated Bayes factor, 1.92, showed that the data were insensitive to test for the hypothesis that the intervention app version aided cessation. The intervention participants had higher median logins (2.5 versus 0, P = 0.01) and were more likely to use NRT at follow-up (100.0% versus 28.6%, P = 0.03) and recommend NRT2Quit to others (100.0% versus 28.6%, P = 0.01).

conclusionsDespite very low recruitment, there was preliminary but inconclusive evidence that NRT2Quit may improve short-term abstinence and adherence among smokers using NRT. Well-powered studies on NRT2Quit are needed, but different recruitment methods will be required to engage smokers through community pharmacies or other channels.

trial registrationISRCTN ISRCTN33423896 , prospectively registered on 22 March 2015.

Indexed as

Medication AdherenceMobile ApplicationsTobacco Use Cessation DevicesAdultDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleOutcome Assessment, Health CarePatient SatisfactionSmartphoneSmoking CessationMedication adherenceNicotine replacement therapySmartphone applicationSmoking cessation

Identifiers

PMID31477166
PMCPMC6720069
OpenAlexW2972236660

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.