Smart Support | Ritugupta

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the emotional and psychological well-being of individuals worldwide. The sudden disruptions caused by the pandemic have created a need for accessible mental health resources. In response, digitalization has risen to meet this challenge, with an increase in the number of mental health mobile apps available. These apps have been developed to bridge the gap in mental health services and provide relief to both patients and practitioners, while also allowing for COVID-safe and socially distant assistance.

Determining the effectiveness of mental health mobile applications for potential consumers is challenging due to limited information about their incorporation into psychotherapy procedures, assessment, adoption, and design methodology. Many applications, despite their promise, have low universal applicability, lack clinical validation, or fail to demonstrate any effect on therapeutic outcomes.

Despite the fact that many earlier app review initiatives have emphasised the necessity for multi-stakeholder interaction to promote app evaluation efforts, most efforts so far have been initiated by or consisting of a single stakeholder group. It has been learned that the majority of applications do not involve relevant stakeholders such as patients, service users, families, and mental health specialists during the early stages of ideation and discourse.

Additionally, the rise of digital interventions has highlighted the need for new discussions on how psychotherapy can and should promote the safe and ethical use of digital technology. The lack of clear standards and rules can impede the development of evidence-based mental health care models and may pose ethical difficulties. Furthermore, legal considerations must also be taken into account as there are currently no laws or regulations limiting the use of digital applications and no legal liability for unfavourable events induced by them has been developed.

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RESEARCH QUESTION -

How can Mental Health Apps be designed to integrate ethical practice along with the evidence-based approach to alleviate mental health conditions?

AIM -

To develop a strategic design framework for the UK-based mental health apps for mental health support seekers of the 18-35 age group in order to optimise their user experience with these apps, ensuring ethical practice as well as the use of evidence-based techniques.

OBJECTIVES -

Explore the paradigm shift of mental health support from traditional form to digital technology to understand what mental wellness means for various key stakeholders and the key drivers influencing this shift.
Develop an understanding of mental health support seekers' needs in order to understand the experiences and expectations specifically from mental health apps compared to traditional forms.
Evaluate the gaps in these apps and investigate the concerns and challenges faced by the users at various stages to reach the core of the problem and measure the potential of redesigning and optimising the user experience.
Analyse some of the existing solutions around the world, identify the PPI (Patient and public involvement) within their design structure and measure the effectiveness in order to be able to benchmark the relevance and scope of the outcome.
Facilitate an ideation workshop/ focus group with key stakeholders to design a strategic framework within a controlled space and time to address the profundity of mental wellness, optimise the user experience for support seekers, and satisfy their expectations from mental health mobile applications.

KEY INSIGHTS

The proliferation of mobile mental health applications is a trend that is here to stay. However, it is important to note that these applications should not be viewed as a substitute for professional therapists. Rather, they should be utilized as a complementary approach to support overall mental wellness and alleviate the workload of therapists. Despite this, there remains a need to address existing deficiencies in order to fully realize the potential of these applications to positively impact the current mental health landscape.

While a number of evaluation frameworks and rating systems have been developed to assist in raising the standard of mobile mental health applications, a significant number of potential users remain uninformed of the available interventions and continue to struggle with the complex and time-consuming process of assessing the quality, safety, and evidentiary foundation of existing mental health mobile applications.

OUTCOME

Conceptualisation -

The objective of the outcome was to develop a focused tool for guiding potential consumers through the ever-expanding world of mental health applications. The suggested solution ensures the integration of clinical efficacy along with quality, safety and trust fostered within the assessment. The impartial measurement of the applications' perks and consequences is the outcome's anchor.

This study has considered various evaluation tools that address evidence-informed mental health apps' quality, effectiveness, and usability. The suggested framework intends to bridge the gap of unawareness among potential users by delivering an evaluation to them rather than requiring them to go through a separate platform. The outcome renders transparency of the assessment through which this framework facilitates a well-informed decision.

Building on the existing evaluation models and research findings, a regulatory framework with 3 key ingredients for the pre-rollout assessment of the mental health apps have been designed in conjunction with accreditation criteria. The criterion has been developed in accordance with the data protection principles and ethical principles for the evaluation.