Measuring the digital divide among people with severe mental ill health using the essential digital skills framework

Digital Lifestyle Interventions for Young People With Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study Among Mental Health Care Professionals

BACKGROUND

Given the physical health disparities associated with mental illness, targeted lifestyle interventions are required to reduce the risk of cardiometabolic disease. Integrating physical health early in mental health treatment among young people is essential for preventing physical comorbidities, reducing health disparities, managing medication side effects, and improving overall health outcomes. Digital technology is increasingly used to promote fitness, lifestyle, and physical health among the general population. However, using these interventions to promote physical health within mental health care requires a nuanced understanding of the factors that affect their adoption and implementation.

OBJECTIVE

Using a qualitative design, we explored the attitudes of mental health care professionals (MHCPs) toward digital technologies for physical health with the goal of illuminating the opportunities, development, and implementation of the effective use of digital tools for promoting healthier lifestyles in mental health care.

METHODS

Semistructured interviews were conducted with MHCPs (N=13) using reflexive thematic analysis to explore their experiences and perspectives on using digital health to promote physical health in youth mental health care settings.

RESULTS

Three overarching themes from the qualitative analysis are reported: (1) motivation will affect implementation, (2) patients' readiness and capability, and (3) reallocation of staff roles and responsibilities. The subthemes within, and supporting quotes, are described.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of digital means presents many opportunities for improving the provision of physical health interventions in mental health care settings. However, given the limited experience of many MHCPs with these technologies, formal training and additional support may improve the likelihood of implementation. Factors such as patient symptomatology, safety, and access to technology, as well as the readiness, acceptability, and capability of both MHCPs and patients to engage with digital tools, must also be considered. In addition, the potential benefits of data integration must be carefully weighed against the associated risks.

A systematic review of users experiences of using digital interventions within psychosis: a thematic synthesis of qualitative research

PURPOSE

Although the development of digital mental health support for people with psychosis has been increasing, the development and opportunities to access this have been more limited compared to other mental health conditions. Qualitative research exploring the experiences of using digital interventions amongst people with psychosis is even less well developed; however, such research is crucial in capturing the experiences of using digital interventions to ensure they are meeting the needs of people with psychosis. This paper aimed to synthesise qualitative data related to the experiences of people with psychosis who have used digital interventions.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted of articles published between 1992 and October 2023 using PubMed, MBase, PsycINFO, & OVID Medline. Two reviewers independently reviewed and screened 268 papers. Papers that met inclusion criteria were quality assessed using The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) qualitative studies checklist. The Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research (ENTREQ) checklist was used to guide the structure of the report.

RESULTS

A thematic synthesis of 19 studies revealed six overarching themes which related to different aspects and features of the digital interventions: participants' relationship with technology; the accessibility of the interventions; how the interventions could impact on individuals' awareness and management of mental health; enhanced communication and relationships; and opportunities for reflection.

CONCLUSIONS

Benefits of using digital interventions are discussed. Areas for development and improvements are highlighted. Finally, recommendations for stakeholders who develop and implement digital interventions for psychosis are made.

Digital Mental Health for Schizophrenia and Other Severe Mental Illnesses: An International Consensus on Current Challenges and Potential Solutions

BACKGROUND

Digital approaches may be helpful in augmenting care to address unmet mental health needs, particularly for schizophrenia and severe mental illness (SMI).

OBJECTIVE

An international multidisciplinary group was convened to reach a consensus on the challenges and potential solutions regarding collecting data, delivering treatment, and the ethical challenges in digital mental health approaches for schizophrenia and SMI.

METHODS

The consensus development panel method was used, with an in-person meeting of 2 groups: the expert group and the panel. Membership was multidisciplinary including those with lived experience, with equal participation at all stages and coproduction of the consensus outputs and summary. Relevant literature was shared in advance of the meeting, and a systematic search of the recent literature on digital mental health interventions for schizophrenia and psychosis was completed to ensure that the panel was informed before the meeting with the expert group.

RESULTS

Four broad areas of challenge and proposed solutions were identified: (1) user involvement for real coproduction; (2) new approaches to methodology in digital mental health, including agreed standards, data sharing, measuring harms, prevention strategies, and mechanistic research; (3) regulation and funding issues; and (4) implementation in real-world settings (including multidisciplinary collaboration, training, augmenting existing service provision, and social and population-focused approaches). Examples are provided with more detail on human-centered research design, lived experience perspectives, and biomedical ethics in digital mental health approaches for SMI.

CONCLUSIONS

The group agreed by consensus on a number of recommendations: (1) a new and improved approach to digital mental health research (with agreed reporting standards, data sharing, and shared protocols), (2) equal emphasis on social and population research as well as biological and psychological approaches, (3) meaningful collaborations across varied disciplines that have previously not worked closely together, (4) increased focus on the business model and product with planning and new funding structures across the whole development pathway, (5) increased focus and reporting on ethical issues and potential harms, and (6) organizational changes to allow for true communication and coproduction with those with lived experience of SMI. This study approach, combining an international expert meeting with patient and public involvement and engagement throughout the process, consensus methodology, discussion, and publication, is a helpful way to identify directions for future research and clinical implementation in rapidly evolving areas and can be combined with measurements of real-world clinical impact over time. Similar initiatives will be helpful in other areas of digital mental health and similarly fast-evolving fields to focus research and organizational change and effect improved real-world clinical implementation.

Shaping research for people living with co-existing mental and physical health conditions: A research priority setting initiative from the United Kingdom

INTRODUCTION

Those with severe and enduring mental ill health are at greater risk of long-term physical health conditions and have a reduced life expectancy as a result. Multiple factors compound this health inequality, and the need for setting research priorities in this area is highlighted with physical and mental healthcare services being separate, and limited multimorbidity research.

METHODS

The aim of this exercise was to work in partnership with healthcare professionals and carers, family, friends and individuals with lived experience of both mental and physical health conditions, to set research priorities to help people with mental health conditions to look after their physical health. The exercise was guided by the James Lind Alliance approach. For this, a steering group was set up, two surveys were completed and a final priority workshop was conducted.

RESULTS

This priority setting exercise guided by people's needs and lived experience has produced a set of well-defined research topics. Initially, 555 research questions were suggested in the first survey, which were refined to 54 questions for the second survey. A priority setting workshop was then conducted to get the final 10 priorities.

CONCLUSIONS

Taking these topics forward to improve services and treatment for both mental and physical ill health may in turn improve physical health and lessen the reduced life expectancy of those living with mental ill health.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

This work was completed in collaboration with people who have lived experience of mental ill health and physical health conditions, as well as carers, family and friends. Their contribution has been significant for this work from piloting surveys, amending language used and educating the researchers and contributing to this paper. The initial work was completed with a steering group and continued with surveys and workshops.

The Mediating Role of Digital Competence in the Associations Between the Factors Affecting Healthcare Utilization and Access to Care

Objectives: To examine with a population-based longitudinal survey design whether poor health, longstanding activity limitation, impaired cognitive functioning, mental distress, or loneliness predict poor access to healthcare and whether digital competence mediates these associations. Methods: The data were from the longitudinal FinHealth -survey gathered in Finland in 2017 and 2020 including 3,771 respondents (57.1% women). Linear regression analyses were used to examine the associations of factors affecting healthcare utilization with access to care adjusted for age, sex, and education. Counterfactual causal mediation framework was used to examine the mediating role of digital competence in the relationships among these factors and access to healthcare. Results: Factors affecting healthcare utilization were associated with poor access to care and these associations were partly mediated by low digital competence. Low digital competence mediated 12%, 9% and 8%, of the associations of impaired cognitive functioning, longstanding activity limitation, and loneliness with poor access to care, respectively. Conclusion: According to our results, one way to improve the access to healthcare among vulnerable groups could be to improve their digital competence.

Exploring the Use of Digital Interventions by People with Severe Mental Illness to Support Their Physical Health: A Mixed Methods Study

People with severe mental illness (SMI) are more likely to experience physical health conditions than the general population. Little is known about the experience of people with SMI using digital health interventions (DHIs) to support their physical health. We explored how people with SMI use DHIs to support their physical health, the acceptability, factors affecting use, and impact on physical health. This was a three-stage mixed methods study (1) online survey of people with SMI; (2) interviews with a subsample of participants from Stage 1; (3) stakeholder workshops. Participants were generally satisfied with the DHIs they used. The most popular DHIs were targeted at diet, exercise, and weight management. Factors that encouraged use included simplicity and data-linkage. Concerns included costs, data security, and reliability of information. Positive impacts included accountability and tangible physical health benefits. Mental health impacted engagement with DHIs. DHIs were seen as a useful tool to monitor physical health but could not replace contact with clinical services. DHIs were considered useful and acceptable by people with SMI and may be used as an extension of clinical care. The specific needs and priorities of people with SMI should be considered both in developing and recommending interventions.

Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 and all-cause mortality in persons with co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness during the pandemic: a Norwegian cohort study

PURPOSE

Most people were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Persons with co-occurring substance use disorder (SUD) and mental illness (MI) are already a marginalized group, with above average mortality. Thus, the study aim was to investigate SARS-CoV-2 incidence and mortality among persons with SUD/MI during the first two years of the pandemic.

METHODS

This historical cohort study merged data from the Norwegian Patient Register, the Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases and census data from Statistics Norway. We calculated crude mortality rates for persons with SUD and mild/moderate vs. severe MI and compared them to persons with physical illnesses or healthy controls. The incidence rate ratios for SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality were estimated using Poisson regression models.

RESULTS

Compared to healthy controls, the SARS-Cov-2-infection rate was marginally lower in persons with SUD and mild/moderate MI (IRR,1.19 [95%CI,1.09-1.30]) as in persons with physical illness (IRR,1.35 [95%CI, 1.23-1.47]), whereas persons with SUD and severe MI showed a lower rate compared to healthy controls. Crude mortality rates for persons with SUD/MI were substantially higher and increased much more during the pandemic than for persons with physical illnesses or healthy controls. The IRR for mortality in persons with SUD and mild/moderate MI was 10.61 (95%CI,7.19-15.67) and 11.44 (95%CI,7.50-17.45) for SUD and severe MI, compared to 5.03 (3.34-7.57]) for persons with physical illnesses only.

CONCLUSION

The analysis showed excess mortality during COVID-19-pandemic for SUD/MI, but without higher SARS-CoV-2 infection rates in this group. Consequently, excess mortality among persons with SUD/MI was not due to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Digital Phenotyping in Adults with Schizophrenia: A Narrative Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

As care for older adult patients with schizophrenia lacks innovation, technology can help advance the field. Specifically, digital phenotyping, the real-time monitoring of patients' behaviors through smartphone sensors and symptoms through surveys, holds promise as the method can capture the dynamicity and environmental correlates of disease.

RECENT FINDINGS

Few studies have used digital phenotyping to elucidate adult patients' experiences with schizophrenia. In this narrative review, we summarized the literature using digital phenotyping on adults with schizophrenia. No study focused solely on older adult patients. Studies including all adult patients were heterogeneous in measures used, duration, and outcomes. Despite limited research, digital phenotyping shows potential for monitoring outcomes such as negative, positive, and functional symptoms, as well as predicting relapse. Future research should work to target the symptomology persistent in chronic schizophrenia and ensure all patients have the digital literacy required to benefit from digital interventions and homogenize datasets to allow for more robust conclusions.

Digital health literacy and digital engagement for people with severe mental ill health across the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in England

BACKGROUND

An unprecedented acceleration in digital mental health services happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, people with severe mental ill health (SMI) might be at risk of digital exclusion, partly because of a lack of digital skills, such as digital health literacy. The study seeks to examine how the use of the Internet has changed during the pandemic for people with SMI, and explore digital exclusion, symptomatic/health related barriers to internet engagement, and digital health literacy.

METHODS

Over the period from July 2020 to February 2022, n = 177 people with an SMI diagnosis (psychosis-spectrum disorder or bipolar affective disorder) in England completed three surveys providing sociodemographic information and answering questions regarding their health, use of the Internet, and digital health literacy.

RESULTS

42.5% of participants reported experiences of digital exclusion. Cochrane-Q analysis showed that there was significantly more use of the Internet at the last two assessments (80.8%, and 82.2%) compared to that at the beginning of the pandemic (65.8%; ps < 0.001). Although 34.2% of participants reported that their digital skills had improved during the pandemic, 54.4% still rated their Internet knowledge as being fair or worse than fair. Concentration difficulties (62.6%) and depression (56.1%) were among the most frequently reported symptomatic barriers to use the Internet. The sample was found to have generally moderate levels of digital health literacy (M = 26.0, SD = 9.6). Multiple regression analysis showed that higher literacy was associated with having outstanding/good self-reported knowledge of the Internet (ES = 6.00; 95% CI: 3.18-8.82; p < .001), a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (compared to psychosis spectrum disorder - ES = 5.14; 95% CI: 2.47-7.81; p < .001), and being female (ES = 3.18; 95% CI: 0.59-5.76; p = .016).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings underline the need for training and support among people with SMI to increase digital skills, facilitate digital engagement, and reduce digital engagement, as well as offering non-digital engagement options to service users with SMI.

Widening participation - recruitment methods in mental health randomised controlled trials: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Barriers to mental health research participation are well documented including distrust of services and research; and stigma surrounding mental health. They can contribute to a lack of diversity amongst participants in mental health research, which threatens the generalisability of knowledge. Given the recent widespread use of the internet in medical research, this study aimed to explore the perspectives of key partners on the use of online (e.g. social media) and offline (e.g. in-person) recruitment as an approach to improving diversity in mental health randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

METHODS

Face-to-face and online interviews/focus groups with researchers working in mental health and Patient and Public Involvement partners in the United Kingdom. Recordings were transcribed and analysed using a combination of inductive and deductive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Three focus groups and three interviews were conducted with a total N = 23 participants. Four overarching themes were identified: (1) recruitment reach; (2) Demographic factors that affect selection of recruitment method; (3) safety of technology, and; (4) practical challenges. Five main factors were identified that affect the choice of recruitment method: age, complexity of mental health problem and stigma, cultural and ethnicity differences and digital divide. The use of online methods was considered more accessible to people who may feel stigmatised by their mental health condition and with a benefit of reaching a wider population. However, a common view amongst participants was that online methods require closer data monitoring for quality of responders, are not fully secure and less trustworthy compared to offline methods that enable participants to build relationships with health providers. Funding, staff time and experience, organisational support, and technical issues such as spam or phishing emails were highlighted as practical challenges facing online recruitment. All participants agreed that using a hybrid approach tailored to the population under study is paramount.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlighted the importance of offering a flexible and multifaceted recruitment approach by integrating online with offline methods to support inclusivity and widening participation in mental health research. The findings will be used to develop considerations for researchers designing RCTs to improve recruitment in mental health research.

A theory and evidence-based co-design approach to develop a supported self-management intervention for people with severe mental illness and type 2 diabetes (Preprint)

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes is 2 to 3 times more common among people with severe mental illness (SMI). Self-management is crucial, with additional challenges faced by people with SMI. Therefore, it is essential that any diabetes self-management program for people with SMI addresses the unique needs of people living with both conditions and the inequalities they experience within health care services.

OBJECTIVE

We combined theory, empirical evidence, and co-design approaches to develop a type 2 diabetes self-management intervention for people with SMI.

METHODS

The development process encompassed 4 steps: step 1 involved prioritizing the mechanisms of action (MoAs) and behavior change techniques (BCTs) for the intervention. Using findings from primary qualitative research and systematic reviews, we selected candidate MoAs to target in the intervention and candidate BCTs to use. Expert stakeholders then ranked these MoAs and BCTs using a 2-phase survey. The average scores were used to generate a prioritized list of MoAs and BCTs. During step 2, we presented the survey results to an expert consensus workshop to seek expert agreement with the definitive list of MoAs and BCTs for the intervention and identify potential modes of delivery. Step 3 involved the development of trigger films using the evidence from steps 1 and 2. We used animations to present the experiences of people with SMI managing diabetes. These films were used in step 4, where we used a stakeholder co-design approach. This involved a series of structured workshops, where the co-design activities were informed by theory and evidence.

RESULTS

Upon the completion of the 4-step process, we developed the DIAMONDS (diabetes and mental illness, improving outcomes and self-management) intervention. It is a tailored self-management intervention based on the synthesis of the outputs from the co-design process. The intervention incorporates a digital app, a paper-based workbook, and one-to-one coaching designed to meet the needs of people with SMI and coexisting type 2 diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

The intervention development work was underpinned by the MoA theoretical framework and incorporated systematic reviews, primary qualitative research, expert stakeholder surveys, and evidence generated during co-design workshops. The intervention will now be tested for feasibility before undergoing a definitive evaluation in a pragmatic randomized controlled trial.