Not Yet RecruitingNot Applicable

Financial Rewards for Reducing Alcohol Use in Patients With Liver Disease

90 participantsStarted 2026-08-01

Plain-language summary

This study tests whether providing financial rewards based on a blood test result can help people with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) stop or reduce their drinking. The blood test is called phosphatidylethanol (PEth), which can detect alcohol use over the past three to four weeks. The financial reward program is called contingency management (CM). The study has two parts. Part 1 involves one-time interviews and surveys with patients and healthcare providers to understand how a PEth-based CM program could best be delivered in a liver disease clinic. Part 2 is a pilot randomized controlled trial (the REINFORCE Trial) in which participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups: (1) a rewards group that receives escalating financial incentives when PEth results show reduced or no alcohol use, or (2) a monitoring group that receives fixed payments regardless of PEth results. Both groups receive PEth testing and continue their usual medical care. The study will assess whether the rewards program improves alcohol abstinence and reduction at 12 and 24 weeks.'

Who can participate

Age range18 Years

SexALL

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AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18 years or older * Diagnosis of alcohol use disorder based on DSM 5 criteria * Diagnosis of alcohol associated liver disease or clinically suspected alcohol related liver injury * Evidence of recent alcohol use or at risk for alcohol relapse * Receiving care in hepatology or liver disease clinic at the participating institution * Willingness to undergo serial phosphatidylethanol (PEth) testing using dried blood spot samples * Ability to provide informed consent * Willingness to participate in the contingency management intervention and follow study procedures Exclusion Criteria: * Severe cognitive impairment or medical condition that prevents participation in study procedures * Active psychosis or severe psychiatric instability that would interfere with participation * Current enrollment in another contingency management program targeting alcohol use * Medical instability requiring hospitalization at the time of enrollment * Inability to communicate in English (if study materials are only available in English) * Any condition that, in the opinion of the investigators, would make participation unsafe or interfere with completion of the study

What they're measuring

Alcohol Abstinence Measured by PEth

Timeframe: 12 weeks

Trial details

NCT IDNCT07465588

SponsorMassachusetts General Hospital

Sponsor typeOTHER

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2028-03-31

Contact for this trial

Wei Zhang, MD PHD

16177265925 wzhang50@mgh.harvard.edu