Ming-Chyi Huang

KeDiary: Using Mobile Phones to Assist Patients in Recovering from Drug Addiction

Ketamine is an addictive drug that has been shown to inflict considerable physical and mental damage on users. Due in part to its low cost, ketamine has become one of the most popular club drugs among young adults and teenagers in Southeast Asia. This paper proposes a phone-based support system (KeDiary) with Bluetooth-enabled device for the screening of saliva, as a means of assisting ketamine-dependent patients to self-monitor their ketamine use following acute withdrawal treatment. We also conducted a practical experiment to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed system, wherein three ketamine-dependent patients self-administered tests at least once per day over a period of three weeks. Follow-up interviews with the same users helped in the further refinement of the proposed self-monitoring system.

A phone-based support system to assist alcohol recovery

This study explores the use of mobile phones as a normal life support system that connects alcohol addict patients to their addiction physiatrists after they leave a rehabilitation center. This paper presents the design and implementation of this phone-based support system that enables continuous patient monitoring and provides feedback support to the patients.

A mobile support system to assist DUI offenders on probation in reducing DUI relapse

This paper proposes a mobile support system to assist DUI (Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol) offenders on probation in avoiding committing DUI again. A customizable portable breathalyzer is used in conjunction with the DUI offenders mobile phone to self-administer alcohol screening tests and send the results to a server. The system also transmits contextual information and momentary feedback to the server. Records pertaining to alcohol use are summarized on a server and a list of triggering events are inferred from the information sent from the phone. This data can then be used to characterize the difficulties faced by these individuals, monitor their compliance with their probation requirements, and gauge their progress.

Learning how clinicians use self-logged behavior data when managing patients with alcohol use problems in a clinical setting

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder capable of causing considerable distress at the individual as well as societal level. Obtaining a sound diagnosis of this disorder and formulating an effective treatment plan require that clinicians possess a comprehensive understanding of the developmental pathways and course of alcohol use. This study conducted role-playing interviews to gain insights that could help to guide the design of information systems capable of facilitating the diagnosis and treatment of patients with alcohol use problems.

Neither One is Enough: Exploring the Use of Wrist-worn Activity Trackers to Assist Acute Psychiatric Healthcare

In this study, we conducted a field study involving patients and healthcare workers in an acute psychiatric unit with the aim of identifying the reasons for inconsistencies among measurements of sleep/awake patterns, the observations of nurses, and the reports of patients. After identifying the reasons for the inconsistencies, we designed an interactive caring system that merges multiple data sources to present a unified view of sleep/awake patterns. In so doing, we were able to leverage observations from nurses and the reports of patients to resolve prior inconsistencies.

SoberMotion: Leveraging the Force of Probation Officers to Reduce the Risk of DUI Recidivism

In this study, we sought to assist probation officers in their efforts to reduce the risk that offenders on probation would re-commit the offense of driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol. We prototyped a support system called SoberMotion, in which a breathalyzer is connected to the offenders smart phone via Bluetooth. Development of the system was based on pilot interviews with probation officers, psychiatrists, and offenders aimed at identifying the challenges and opportunities associated with this type of technology-based support mechanism. A corresponding phone app logs alcohol use behavior and identifies situations in which offenders should evaluate their sobriety before operating a vehicle. We conducted a two-month field study involving eight DUI offenders on probation, with the aim of evaluating the feasibility of the SoberMotion system. Our results indicate that most of the participants who drank alcohol while following the program performed multiple alcohol screening tests before operating a vehicle in order to avoid re-committing DUI. Responses collected via qualitative interviews indicate that SoberMotion is an effective approach to extending the power of probation officers seeking to reduce the risk of DUI recidivism.

Case Study of Adapting a Phone-based Support System to Enable Drug-dependent Patients to Develop Coping Skills

This paper describes a case study of adapting a phone-based support system (CopeDiary) to help drug-dependent patients obtain, maintain, and practice coping skills for dealing with high-risk situations, thereby preventing drug relapse. We designed and implemented CopeDiary and conducted real-world user testing on three recovering drug-dependent patients receiving outpatient abstinence treatment at a hospital. CopeDiary was designed to be an assistive tool for therapists to educate drug-dependent patients about coping skills. Follow-up interviews revealed design-related challenges regarding how to engage drug-dependent patients and therapists about learning and teaching coping strategies for daily life.

Challenges and opportunities for designing new technology to reveal early warning signs in acute psychiatric units

This paper describes the challenges and lessons learned in the design of a patient monitoring and early warning system for patients in acute psychiatric centers. We began by conducting contextual inquiries and a focus group to identify the challenges and opportunities for the application of new technologies. The resulting themes were then used in the development of wearable sensing and environment monitoring devices that can be configured for individual patients and the specifics of the facility.