Technological Interventions for Medication Adherence in Adult Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review

Wearable devices for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A population survey on the willingness to adhere

Objectives

When an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) occurs, the first step in the chain of survival is detection. However, 75% of OHCAs are unwitnessed, representing the largest barrier to activating the chain of survival. Wearable devices have the potential to be "artificial bystanders," detecting OHCA and alerting 9-1-1. We sought to understand factors impacting users' willingness for continuous use of a wearable device through an online survey to inform future use of these systems for automated OHCA detection.

Methods

Data were collected from October 2022 to June 2023 through voluntary response sampling. The survey investigated user convenience and perception of urgency to understand design preferences and willingness to adhere to continuous wearable use across different hypothetical risk levels. Associations between categorical variables and willingness were evaluated through nonparametric tests. Logistic models were fit to evaluate the association between continuous variables and willingness at different hypothetical risk levels.

Results

The survey was completed by 359 participants. Participants preferred hand-based devices (wristbands: 87%, watches: 86%, rings: 62%) and prioritized comfort (94%), cost (83%), and size (72%). Participants were more willing to adhere at higher levels of hypothetical risk. At the baseline risk of 0.1%, older individuals with prior wearable use were most willing to adhere to continuous wearable use.

Conclusion

Individuals were willing to continuously wear wearable devices for OHCA detection, especially at increased hypothetical risk of OHCA. Optimizing willingness is not just a matter of adjusting for user preferences, but also increasing perception of urgency through awareness and education about OHCA.

Development of the medical adherence scale in adolescents using psychotropic medication and evaluation of validity and reliability in Turkish population

PURPOSE

Although treatment non-adherence is relatively high among adolescents, there is a need for standardized measurement tools that measure adherence to treatment in adolescents. This study aimed to develop a new measurement tool to assess the adherence to treatment of adolescents with mental disorders who use psychotropic medication.

METHODS

The data of this methodologically designed study were collected between 01.04.2022 and 01.07.2023 in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of a university hospital in the Aegean Region of Turkey. The Medication Adherence Reporting Scale and Adolescent Medical Adherence Scale draft form were used for data collection. The scale items were formed from the themes, sub-themes, and statements in the qualitative study that the researchers had conducted with adolescents with mental disorders and their parents, clinicians' experiences, and systematic reviews and meta-synthesis in the literature. The study sample consisted of 95 adolescents with mental disorders. Exploratory factor analysis was performed with Varimax rotation to determine the factorial construct validity of the scale. Internal consistency analyses were performed in reliability analyses, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used.

RESULTS

The mean age of the adolescents was 14.18 years (1.81); 50.5% were male, and 96.8% were attending school. When the mental disorder diagnoses were analyzed, 65.3% of the adolescents were being followed up with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder diagnoses, and 58.8% were using stimulants. The 12-item form of the Adolescent Medical Adherence Scale was found to have a three-factor structure with item-total correlation values ranging between 0.26 and 0.66, and these factors were named functionality, responsibility in treatment, and medication adherence. Factor loadings ranged between 0.44 and 0.86, and the items explained 62.98% of the total variance. The internal consistency coefficients of the scale were between 0.69 and 0.83 for the subscales and 0.82 for the total scale.

CONCLUSION

Based on the analysis and results used in this study, the Adolescent Medical Adherence Scale is a valid and reliable new measurement tool.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

This tool can be used in clinical settings to evaluate adolescents' treatment adherence and prognosis. Clinical studies conducted with adolescents can also determine adherence to treatment and affecting factors.

Technology-Based Strategy to Improve Medication Compliance Among Patients With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

INTRODUCTION

 Non-compliance to medications remains a challenging problem in schizophrenia. Newer strategies with high feasibility and acceptability are always being researched. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of technology-based intervention in improving medication compliance in individuals with schizophrenia.

METHOD

This was a prospective intervention study where participants were required to use the SuperMD smartphone application (Digital-Health Technologies Pte Ltd, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) for a month. A change in the Medication Adherence Rating Scale-Malay Translation (MARS-M) and Malay Translation of Drug Adherence Inventory-9 (MDAI-9) scores indicated a change in compliance and attitude to medication. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess change in symptoms and insight. Medication compliance was also obtained from the SuperMD application. Paired T-test was used to evaluate the significance of changes in mean scores of research variables over the study period. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze the subscale of MDAI-9 and the change in PANSS score. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine the effect of the change of insight on the level of compliance with medication.

RESULTS

There were 36 participants in this study. The results showed statistically significant improvement in compliance (0.65, p ≤ 0.01) but not in attitude towards medication (0.78, p = 0.065). There was also an improvement in PANNS score (-2.58, P ≤ 0.01). There was no significant change in insight (χ2(2) = 3.802, p = 0.15).  Conclusion:The use of technology-based strategies like SuperMD is effective in improving medication compliance for individuals with schizophrenia.

A Systematic Review on Pill and Medication Dispensers from a Human-Centered Perspective

As medication adherence represents a critical challenge in healthcare, pill and medication dispensers have gained increasing attention as potential solutions to promote adherence and improve patient outcomes. Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology, we carried out a systematic literature review on papers indexed in Scopus and PubMed, which present solutions for pill or medication dispensers. Given the importance of user acceptance for these solutions, the research questions of the survey are driven by a human-centered perspective. We first provide an overview of the different solutions, classifying them according to their stage of development. We then analyze each solution considering its hardware/software architecture. Finally, we review the characteristics of user interfaces designed for interacting with pill and medication dispensers and analyze the involvement of different types of users in dispenser management. On the basis of this analysis, we draw findings and indications for future research that are aimed to provide insights to healthcare professionals, researchers, and designers who are interested in developing and using pill and medication dispensers.

Old tech but not low tech: telephone-based treatment provision for substance use

The future of telemedicine for substance use treatment hangs by a thread, as the United States awaits approval of proposed regulations and laws to increase care access in light of the 2022 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revisions allowing for audio-only care. Telemedicine improves patient care access and outcomes. Audio-only telemedicine can be an effective and viable modality for individuals without technology resources (devices, internet services, and literacy), those with reduced telehealth service utilization (Black individuals or those with unstable housing, who are older, with low income, or with low education), and those living in rural locations. Studies suggest that telephone visits for buprenorphine treatment are well-accepted by patients and providers, making telephone visits essential in care access to reduce disparities. Telephone counseling for patients in substance use treatment is convenient, flexible, and empowering and can augment therapeutic alliances and treatment goals. Both providers and patients advocate for patient-centered hybrid care to include telephone-only treatment, which enhances service productivity and care access; reduces no-show rates, costs, and stigma; and is sustainable. Numerous solutions can expand technology access, proficiency, assimilation, and trust. Despite being "old" technology, the telephone remains an essential resource for substance use treatment.

Impact of Telemedicine on Utilization of Psychiatric Resources in New York City during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study sought to evaluate the impact of telepsychiatry during the COVID-19 pandemic among patients discharged from psychiatric inpatient units in the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation system. We compared patients discharged to telepsychiatry (April 2020, n = 739) and in-person follow-up (May 2019, n = 527); we collected number, timing and attendance for follow-up appointments and number and timing of emergency room (ER) visits and readmissions. We used logistic regression to evaluate the odds of having these encounters and Kaplan-Meier analyses to compare time to these encounters. Patients discharged in 2020 were more likely to have a follow-up (29.4 vs. 19.9%, p < 0.001) and an ER visit or readmission (40.5 vs. 28.7%, p < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier analyses showed shorter time to first follow-up (chi-square = 14.69, d.f.=1, p < 0.0001, follow-ups = 322) and ER visit or readmission (chi-square = 19.57, d.f.=1, p < 0.0001, ER visits or admissions = 450) in the 2020 cohort. In multivariable analyses, patients discharged in 2020 were more likely to have a follow-up visit (adjusted OR 1.85, 95% confidence interval 1.40, 2.45, p < 0.0001). We found an increase in psychiatric service utilization during the pandemic, with an increase in and shorter time until outpatient visits and ER visits or readmissions. Although increased use of psychiatric services during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic is encouraging, it also points to the depth of the crisis among vulnerable populations; this pattern warrants further exploration and intervention.

Safety Evaluation in Iterative Development of Wearable Patches for Aripiprazole Tablets With Sensor: Pooled Analysis of Clinical Trials

BACKGROUND

Wearable sensors in digital health may pose a risk for skin irritation through the use of wearable patches. Little is known about how patient- and product-related factors impact the risk of skin irritation. Aripiprazole tablets with sensor (AS, Abilify MyCite; Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc) is a digital medicine system indicated for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, and major depressive disorder. AS includes aripiprazole tablets with an embedded ingestible event marker, a wearable sensor attached to the skin through a wearable patch, a smartphone app, and a web-based portal. To continuously improve the final product, successive iterations of wearable patches were developed, including raisin patch version 4 (RP4), followed by disposable wearable sensor version 5 (DW5), and then reusable wearable sensor version 2 (RW2).

OBJECTIVE

This analysis pooled safety data from clinical studies in adult participants using the RP4, DW5, and RW2 wearable patches of AS and evaluated adverse events related to the use of wearable patches.

METHODS

Safety data from 12 studies in adults aged 18-65 years from May 2010 to August 2020 were analyzed. All studies evaluated safety, with studies less than 2 weeks also specifically examining human factors associated with the use of the components of AS. Healthy volunteers or patients with schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, or major depressive disorder were enrolled; those who were exposed to at least 1 wearable patch were included in the safety analysis. Adverse events related to the use of a wearable patch were evaluated. Abrasions, blisters, dermatitis, discoloration, erythema, irritation, pain, pruritus, rash, and skin reactions were grouped as skin irritation events (SIEs). All statistical analyses were descriptive.

RESULTS

The analysis included 763 participants (mean [SD] age 42.6 [12.9] years; White: n=359, 47.1%; and male: n=420, 55%). Participants were healthy volunteers (n=269, 35.3%) or patients with schizophrenia (n=402, 52.7%), bipolar I disorder (n=57, 7.5%), or major depressive disorder (n=35, 4.6%). Overall, 13.6% (104/763) of the participants reported at least 1 SIE, all of which were localized to the wearable patch site. Incidence of ≥1 patch-related SIEs was seen in 18.1% (28/155), 14.2% (55/387), and 9.2% (28/306) of participants who used RP4, DW5, and RW2, respectively. Incidence of SIE-related treatment discontinuation was low, which is reported by 1.9% (3/155), 3.1% (12/387), and 1.3% (4/306) of participants who used RP4, DW5, and RW2, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence rates of SIEs reported as the wearable patch versions evolved from RP4 through RW2 suggest that information derived from reported adverse events may have informed product design and development, which could have improved both tolerability and wearability of successive products.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02091882, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02091882; Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02404532, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02404532; Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02722967, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02722967; Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02219009, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02219009; Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03568500, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03568500; Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03892889, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03892889.

Harnessing Artificial Intelligence: Strategies for Mental Health Nurses in Optimizing Psychiatric Patient Care

This narrative review explores the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on mental health nursing, particularly in enhancing psychiatric patient care. AI technologies present new strategies for early detection, risk assessment, and improving treatment adherence in mental health. They also facilitate remote patient monitoring, bridge geographical gaps, and support clinical decision-making. The evolution of virtual mental health assistants and AI-enhanced therapeutic interventions are also discussed. These technological advancements reshape the nurse-patient interactions while ensuring personalized, efficient, and high-quality care. The review also addresses AI's ethical and responsible use in mental health nursing, emphasizing patient privacy, data security, and the balance between human interaction and AI tools. As AI applications in mental health care continue to evolve, this review encourages continued innovation while advocating for responsible implementation, thereby optimally leveraging the potential of AI in mental health nursing.

Provision of Digital Health Technologies for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment by US Health Care Organizations

Importance

Digital health technologies may expand organizational capacity to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). However, it remains unclear whether these technologies serve as substitutes for or complements to traditional substance use disorder (SUD) treatment resources in health care organizations.

Objective

To characterize the use of patient-facing digital health technologies for OUD by US organizations with accountable care organization (ACO) contracts.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study analyzed responses to the 2022 National Survey of Accountable Care Organizations (NSACO), collected between October 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, from US organizations with Medicare and Medicaid ACO contracts. Data analysis was performed between December 15, 2022, and January 6, 2023.

Exposures

Treatment resources for SUD (eg, an addiction medicine specialist, sufficient staff to treat SUD, medications for OUD, a specialty SUD treatment facility, a registry to identify patients with OUD, or a registry to track mental health for patients with OUD) and organizational characteristics (eg, organization type, Medicaid ACO contract).

Main Outcomes and Measures

The main outcomes included survey-reported use of 3 categories of digital health technologies for OUD: remote mental health therapy and tracking, virtual peer recovery support programs, and digital recovery support for adjuvant cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Statistical analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models.

Results

Overall, 276 of 505 organizations responded to the NSACO (54.7% response rate), with a total of 304 respondents. Of these, 161 (53.1%) were from a hospital or health system, 74 (24.2%) were from a physician- or medical group-led organization, and 23 (7.8%) were from a safety-net organization. One-third of respondents (101 [33.5%]) reported that their organization used at least 1 of the 3 digital health technology categories, including remote mental health therapy and tracking (80 [26.5%]), virtual peer recovery support programs (46 [15.1%]), and digital recovery support for adjuvant CBT (27 [9.0%]). In an adjusted analysis, organizations with an addiction medicine specialist (average marginal effect [SE], 32.3 [4.7] percentage points; P < .001) or a registry to track mental health (average marginal effect [SE], 27.2 [3.8] percentage points; P < .001) were more likely to use at least 1 category of technology compared with otherwise similar organizations lacking these capabilities.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional study of 276 organizations with ACO contracts, organizations used patient-facing digital health technologies for OUD as complements to available SUD treatment capabilities rather than as substitutes for unavailable resources. Future studies should examine implementation facilitators to realize the potential of emerging technologies to support organizations facing health care practitioner shortages and other barriers to OUD treatment delivery.

Real-World Evidence of Aripiprazole Tablets with Sensor: Treatment Patterns and Impacts on Psychiatric Healthcare Resource Utilization

Purpose

Maintaining adherence to antipsychotic (AP) medication is often challenging. Aripiprazole tablets with sensor (AS) contain an ingestible event marker and communicate with wearable patches and a smartphone app to provide objective medication ingestion data. This study evaluated real-world treatment patterns of AS usage and its impact on psychiatric healthcare resource utilization (HCRU).

Patients and Methods

This retrospective, observational cohort study identified individuals who initiated AS between 1/1/2019 and 6/30/2020 with 3 months baseline and 6 months of follow-up data using a commercial medical and pharmacy claims database (Clarivate). Controls were propensity score-matched (4:1) to AS initiators based on age (±2 years), sex, diagnosis (major depressive disorder [MDD], schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder [BP-I], other), insurance, and baseline oral AP use (yes/no). Days of AP supply were evaluated using a general regression model. The frequency of psychiatric HCRU during follow-up was compared between groups using a zero-inflated regression model.

Results

Most AS initiators were diagnosed with MDD (61.2%) and were women (61.2%); mean age was 37.7 years (standard deviation: 14.1). Most AS initiators (53.1%) continued treatment for >60 days (mean days of supply = 77). After adjusting for covariates, AS initiators had 41% more days of AP supply during follow-up compared with controls (P <0.0001) and significantly lower adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for psychiatric outpatient visits (adjusted OR = 0.80; P <0.05), emergency department visits (adjusted OR = 0.11; P <0.05), inpatient visits (adjusted OR = 0.42; P <0.05), and other medical services (adjusted OR = 0.25; P <0.05).

Conclusion

Participants who implemented AS had significantly more days of AP supply and fewer psychiatric care visits. These preliminary results suggest AS usage can help build regular medication-taking habits and holds promise for reducing psychiatric HCRU. Additional studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to inform clinical practice and coverage decisions.

A Computational Platform to Support the Detection, Follow-up, and Epidemiological Surveillance of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: Protocol for a Development and Evaluation Study

BACKGROUND

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 15% of the global population is affected by mental health or substance use disorders. These conditions contribute significantly to the global disease burden, which has worsened because of the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19. In Mexico, a quarter of the population between the ages of 18 and 65 years who reside in urban areas present a mental health condition. The presence of a mental or substance abuse disorder is behind a significant percentage of suicidal behaviors in Mexico, where only 1 in 5 of those who have these disorders receive any treatment.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to develop, deploy, and evaluate a computational platform to support the early detection and intervention of mental and substance use disorders in secondary and high schools as well as primary care units. The platform also aims to facilitate monitoring, treatment, and epidemiological surveillance ultimately helping specialized health units at the secondary level of care.

METHODS

The development and evaluation of the proposed computational platform will run during 3 stages. In stage 1, the identification of the functional and user requirements and the implementation of the modules to support the screening, follow-up, treatment, and epidemiological surveillance will be performed. In stage 2, the initial deployment of the screening module will be carried out in a set of secondary and high schools, as well as the deployment of the modules to support the follow-up, treatment, and epidemiological surveillance processes in primary and secondary care health units. In parallel, during stage 2, patient applications to support early interventions and continuous monitoring will also be developed. Finally, during stage 3, the deployment of the complete platform will be performed jointly with a quantitative and qualitative evaluation.

RESULTS

The screening process has started, and 6 schools have been currently enrolled. As of February 2023, a total of 1501 students have undergone screening, and the referral of those students presenting a risk in mental health or substance use to primary care units has also started. The development, deployment, and evaluation of all the modules of the proposed platform are expected to be completed by late 2024.

CONCLUSIONS

The expected results of this study are to impact a better integration between the different levels of health care, from early detection to follow-up and epidemiological surveillance of mental and substance use disorders contributing to reducing the gap in the attention to these problems in the community.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/44607.

Augmenting Mental Health Support for Patients Accessing Different Degrees of Formal Psychiatric Care through a Supportive Text Messaging Program: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Patients feel more vulnerable when accessing community mental health programs for the first time or after being discharged from psychiatric inpatient units. Long wait times for follow-up appointments, shortage of mental health professionals, lack of service integration, and scarcity of tailored support can weaken their connection to the health care system. As a result, patients can present low adherence, dissatisfaction with treatment, and recurrent hospitalizations. Finding solutions to avoid unnecessary high-cost services and providing tailored and cost-effective mental health interventions may reduce the health system burden and augment patient support. We propose implementing an add-on, supportive text messaging service (Text4Support), developed using cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) principles to augment mental health support for patients attending to or being discharged from psychiatric care in Nova Scotia, Canada. This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the effectiveness of Text4Support in improving mental health outcomes and overall mental well-being compared with usual care. We also will examine the intervention's impact on health services utilization and patient satisfaction. The results from this study will provide evidence on stepped and technology-based mental health care, which will contribute to generating new knowledge about mental health innovations in various clinical contexts, which is not only helpful for the local context but to other jurisdictions in Canada and abroad that are seeking to improve their health care.

Examining clinician choice to follow-up (or not) on automated notifications of medication non-adherence by clinical decision support systems

BACKGROUND

Maintaining medication adherence can be challenging for people living with mental ill-health. Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) based on automated detection of problematic patterns in Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have the potential to enable early intervention into non-adherence events ("flags") through suggesting evidence-based courses of action. However, extant literature shows multiple barriers-perceived lack of benefit in following up low-risk cases, veracity of data, human-centric design concerns, etc.-to clinician follow-up in real-world settings. This study examined patterns in clinician decision making behaviour related to follow-up of non-adherence prompts within a community mental health clinic.

METHODS

The prompts for follow-up, and the recording of clinician responses, were enabled by CDSS software (AI²). De-identified clinician notes recorded after reviewing a prompt were analysed using a thematic synthesis approach-starting with descriptions of clinician comments, then sorting into analytical themes related to design and, in parallel, a priori categories describing follow-up behaviours. Hypotheses derived from the literature about the follow-up categories' relationships with client and medication-subtype characteristics were tested.

RESULTS

The majority of clients were Not Followed-up (n = 260; 78%; Followed-up: n = 71; 22%). The analytical themes emerging from the decision notes suggested contextual factors-the clients' environment, their clinical relationships, and medical needs-mediated how clinicians interacted with the CDSS flags. Significant differences were found between medication subtypes and follow-up, with Anti-depressants less likely to be followed up than Anti-Psychotics and Anxiolytics (χ² = 35.196, 44.825; p < 0.001; v = 0.389, 0.499); and between the time taken to action Followed-up₀ and Not-followed up₁ flags (M₀ = 31.78; M₁ = 45.55; U = 12,119; p < 0.001; η² = .05).

CONCLUSION

These analyses encourage actively incorporating the input of consumers and carers, non-EHR data streams, and better incorporation of data from parallel health systems and other clinicians into CDSS designs to encourage follow-up.

Exploring the Value of Real-Time Medication Adherence Monitoring: A Qualitative Study

Smart adherence products enable the monitoring of medication intake in real-time. However, the value of real-time medication intake monitoring to different stakeholders such as patients, their caregivers, clinicians, and insurers is not elucidated. The aim of this study was to explore the value different stakeholders place on the availability of smart adherence products and access to real-time medication intake data. A qualitative study design using semi-structured one-on-one virtual interviews was utilized. Schwartz's theory of values provided the foundation for the interview questions, data were analyzed using Braun and Clark's thematic analysis framework, and findings were mapped back to the constructs of Schwartz's theory of values. A total of 31 interviews with patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and representatives of private or public insurance providers were conducted. Three themes and ten subthemes were identified. Themes included perceptions of integrating smart medication adherence technologies and real-time monitoring, technology adoption factors and data management. Stakeholders place different values based on the motivators and goals that can drive product use for daily medication management. Stakeholders valued the availability of real-time medication taking data that allow clinicians to make timely data-driven recommendations to their patients that may improve medication management for patients and reduce the caregiver burden.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Adherence Therapy and Its Treatment Duration in Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

BACKGROUND

Adherence therapy (AT) is an intervention for improving medication adherence of people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, but no systematic reviews have yet summarized the effectiveness and minimum treatment duration of AT. We here aimed to systematically examine the effectiveness of AT in improving outcomes versus treatment as usual (TAU) and its minimum effective duration for people diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Eligible randomized controlled trials were identified from four databases (Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL and Cochrane Library) for the period 1 January 2006 to 1 January 2023. Of 1087 retrieved candidate studies, five studies with a total of 726 participants met the inclusion criteria. The search terms consisted of adherence therapy, compliance therapy, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenic disorder, medication adherence, and medication compliance (combined with OR and AND). Two investigators independently selected studies, extracted data, and conducted bias risk assessments. Random-effects models were used to analyze the pooled data.

RESULTS

Meta-analysis of the five selected studies showed that AT had a significantly greater positive effects than TAU on psychiatric symptoms, but no significant effects on adherence behaviors and attitudes.

CONCLUSION

The AT had limited effects in terms of improving the attitudes and behaviors of people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders with respect to medication adherence, but did improve patients' psychiatric symptoms. The therapy should be performed by trained staff for maximum benefit, and the recommended duration of the intervention is 12 hours.

Measuring the quality of mental health services from the patient perspective in China: psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the World Health Organization responsiveness performance questionnaire

Background

Despite the large population of patients with mental disorders and the rapid development of mental health services in China, there are few evaluations of Chinese mental health services from the patient perspective. Relevant instruments with robust psychometric properties are lacking.

Objective

This study aimed to translate, adapt and validate the WHO responsiveness performance questionnaire for measuring the quality of hospital mental health services among Chinese patients.

Methods

The adaption of the translated questionnaire incorporated experts’ and patients’ opinions. For psychometric testing, 193 outpatients and 168 inpatients completed outpatient and inpatient modules, respectively.

Results

The adapted questionnaire adhered to the WHO framework of responsiveness domains, and just four items had some wording changes. Item missing rates were below 6%. Both the outpatient and inpatient modules had acceptable internal reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.837 and 0.730) and most domains had desirable average inter-item correlation coefficients. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated an acceptable model fit for the inpatient module, while some goodness-of-fit indices for the outpatient module were a little outside of the recommended ranges. Except for ‘talking privately’ from the domain of confidentiality (both outpatient and inpatient modules) and ‘waiting time’ from the domain of prompt attention (the inpatient module), factor loadings of all other items were above 0.5.

Conclusions

The Chinese version of the responsiveness performance questionnaire has acceptable feasibility, reliability, and validity in general and it can be used to measure, assess and improve the quality of mental health services in China.

Optimizing Internet Use during Adolescence: eHealth Solutions

Internet offers an immense opportunity as a resource for education, training, and health promotion. This narrative review summarizes the opportunities for health promotion among adolescents through use of the Internet and technology (defined as eHealth). The details of technology and use of Internet for adolescent-health related topics such as nutrition, fitness, sexual health, adventure, and violence were searched through PubMed. The review reports few digital solutions to address key challenges during adolescence like promotion of nutrition and sexual reproductive health, prevention of noncommunicable diseases, substance abuse, and mental health issues. eHealth was concluded as a potential solution for preventive and promotional health practices during adolescence. However, concerns of Internet addiction, safety, privacy, mental health disorders, and misinformation need to be addressed and monitored during adolescence.

Retention in treatment and therapeutic adherence: How are these associated with therapeutic success? An analysis using real-world data

INTRODUCTION

Treatment retention and adherence are used as outcomes in numerous randomized clinical trials and observational studies conducted in the addiction field. Although usual criteria are 3/6 months of treatment retention or number of sessions attended, there is not a methodological support for conclusions using these criteria. This study analyzed the usefulness of retention and adherence to predict therapeutic success.

METHODS

Retrospective observational study using real-world data from electronic health records of 11,907 patients in treatment diagnosed with cocaine, alcohol, cannabis and opiate use disorders or harmful use.

RESULTS

Moderate effect size relations were found between the different type of clinical discharge and months in retention (η2  = 0.12) and proportion of attendance (η2  = 0.10). No relationship was found with the number of sessions attended. Using cut-off points (i.e., 3 or 6 months in treatment or attending 6 therapy sessions) worsens the ability to predict the type of discharge.

DISCUSSIONS/CONCLUSION

Treatment retention and adherence are indicators moderately related to therapeutic success. Research using these indicators to assess the effectiveness of therapies should complement their results with other clinical indicators and quality of life measures.

Systematic Literature Review of Text Messaging Interventions to Promote Medication Adherence Among People With Serious Mental Illness

OBJECTIVE

Mobile health tools are feasible options to encourage behavior change among patients with serious mental illness. Mobile health tools vary widely, both in platforms used and content delivered. This literature review assessed the use of text messaging interventions to promote medication adherence among patients with serious mental illness.

METHODS

A systematic literature review using PRISMA guidelines examined short message service (SMS) text messaging interventions promoting medication adherence to people with a serious mental illness diagnosis. Databases included PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Data extraction included demographic information, participant diagnoses, intervention components, medication class, adherence measures, research design, and study outcomes. Study quality was also assessed.

RESULTS

Of 114 full-text articles screened, 10 articles were selected from nine unique interventions (N=937 people with serious mental illness). Study durations ranged from 30 days to 18 months, with frequency of SMS ranging from twice weekly to 12 times daily. Of the nine unique trials, most reported using an automated server to deliver SMS messages (N=7), two-way SMS capabilities (N=6), customized message content or timing (N=7), and additional components (e.g., provider contact, educational content, and monetary rewards) (N=7). Seven of the 10 articles reported statistically significant improvement in medication adherence and in at least one clinical outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence to date indicates that text messaging interventions are feasible and appear to improve medication adherence and clinical outcomes among patients with serious mental illness. Future research should assess implementation approaches and how to scale up efforts in nonresearch settings.

The co-occurrence of the SAVA syndemic, depression and anxiety as barriers to antiretroviral therapy adherence among sub-Saharan Africa population groups: A scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION

The scale-up of access to antiretroviral therapy has transformed HIV from an acute, terminal disease to a manageable chronic illness. Yet, sustaining high levels of antiretroviral therapy adherence remain a challenge, especially in the sub-Saharan Africa region which is disproportionately affected by HIV. This protocol proposes a scoping review to explore literature reporting on the antiretroviral therapy adherence levels among people who experience substance abuse and violence (SAVA) syndemics, as well as mood disorders such as anxiety and depression among people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This proposed scoping review will follow Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework for conducting scoping reviews as refined by Levac et al. The review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute's manual for conducting scoping reviews. Literature searches will be conducted using six databases: Academic search complete; APA PsycArticles; CINAHL; MEDLINE; SocINDEX and Web of science. Title screening will see the "Participant, Concept, Context" framework applied to identify relevant literature and will not include the appraisal of search results. Data charting will follow an adapted version of Trico and colleagues' PRISMA-ScR and results will be mapped descriptively and in tabular format. Furthermore, results will be discussed within the syndemics model of health, and summarised as a biosocial conceptual model.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study will make use of secondary data that are readily available to the public and will not require ethical approval. We intend to publish our results in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminate our findings at relevant conferences and seminars.

Digital Help for Substance Users (SU): A Systematic Review

The estimated number of Substance Users (SU) globally has currently reached a very high number and is still increasing. This aspect necessitates appropriate interventions for prevention and specific treatments. The literature shows that digital treatments can be useful in the context of health services and substance abuse. This systematic review focuses mainly on research on the effectiveness of digital treatments for SU. Data sources included studies found on PsycINFO, PubMed, SCOPUS, and WebOfScience (WOS) database searches. The following keywords were used: TITLE (digital OR computer OR software OR tablet OR app OR videogame OR seriousgame OR virtualreality) AND ABSTRACT((mental AND health) AND (addiction OR dependence OR substance OR drug)). We focused on peer-reviewed articles published from 2010 through 2021 using PRISMA guidelines. A total of 18 studies met the inclusion criteria (i.e., type of intervention, efficacy in terms of misuse of substances and scored outcomes from questionnaire or toxicology tests, study methodology). The studies included investigations of specific digital treatments for SU of various kinds of drugs. The interventions were administered using personal computers, smartphones, or, in a few cases, tablets. Most of the interventions focused on the cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) model and/or on the use strategies, tips, or feedback. A minority provided information or training programs. The current review shows that digital treatments and interventions are effective in reducing the frequency of use, augmenting abstinence, or reducing the gravity of dependence for most of the studies at post-treatment. However, due to the heterogeneity of the variables (i.e., substance type, digital tool used, and treatment administered), there was a reduced generalizability of the results. This review highlights the need to continue the research in this field, and above all, to create effective digital protocols.

Practical Technology for Expanding and Improving Substance Use Disorder Treatment: Telehealth, Remote Monitoring, and Digital Health Interventions

The US opioid crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic have sparked innovation in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment such that telehealth, remote monitoring, and digital health interventions are increasingly feasible and effective. These technologies can increase SUD treatment access and acceptability, even for nontreatment seeking, remote, and underserved populations, and can be used to reduce health disparities. Overall, digital tools will likely overcome many barriers to delivery of evidence-based behavioral treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy and contingency management, that, along with appropriate medications, constitute the foundation of treatment of SUDs.

Non-adherence to psychiatric medication in adults experiencing homelessness is associated with incurred concussions

This study investigated the relationship between concussions and medication adherence among 247 adults experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who were prescribed medication for a psychiatric disorder. Participants were asked whether they had “ever experienced a blow to the head that caused a concussion,” and medication adherence was measured by asking participants whether they had taken their psychiatric medication yesterday. The data were analyzed using univariate and multivariable logistic regressions. Results showed that more than half of the sample had a concussion history (61.9%), and homeless adults with a concussion history had higher odds of non-adherence to psychiatric medications compared with those who reported no concussion history [OR = 2.13 (95% CI = 1.08, 4.18)]. Findings suggest that medication non-adherence is associated with incurred concussions. Raising awareness among service providers of the relationship between traumatic brain injury and medication adherence may increase efforts to improve adherence in this underserved population.

Healthcare Provider Engagement with a Novel Dashboard for Tracking Medication Ingestion: Impact on Treatment Decisions and Clinical Assessments for Adults with Schizophrenia

Purpose

Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic condition accounting for disproportionate healthcare utilization. Antipsychotics can reduce relapse rates, but the characteristics of schizophrenia may hinder medication adherence. A phase 3b open-label clinical trial used aripiprazole tablets with sensor (AS; includes pills with ingestible event-marker, wearable sensor patches and smartphone application) in adults with schizophrenia. This post hoc analysis explored how healthcare providers' (HCPs) usage of a dashboard that provided medication ingestion information impacted treatment decisions and clinical assessments.

Patients and Methods

Participants used AS for 3-6 months. HCPs were instructed to check the dashboard regularly, identify features used, and report impact on treatment decisions. After stratifying HCPs by frequency of dashboard checks and resulting treatment decisions, changes from baseline were calculated for Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression (CGI)-Severity of Illness and CGI-Improvement (CGI-I), and Personal and Social Performance (PSP), and compared using Mann-Whitney U-tests and rank-biserial correlation coefficient (r) effect sizes.

Results

To ensure sufficient opportunity for AS engagement, 113 participants who completed ≥3 months on study were analyzed. HCPs most often accessed dashboard data regarding medication ingestion and missed doses. HCPs recommended adherence counseling and participant education most often. Participants whose HCPs used the dashboard more and recommended adherence counseling and participant education (n=61) improved significantly more than participants with less dashboard-active HCPs (n=49) in CGI-I mean score (2.9 versus 3.4 [p=0.004]), total PANSS (mean change: -9.2 versus -3.1 [p=0.0002]), PANSS positive subscale (-3.2 versus -1.5 [p=0.003]), PANSS general subscale (-4.3 versus -1.2 [p=0.02]), and Marder factor for negative symptoms (-1.9 versus 0.0 [p=0.03]). Most HCPs found the dashboard easy to use (74%) and helpful for improving conversations with participants about their treatment plan and progress (78%).

Conclusion

This provider dashboard may facilitate discussions with patients about regular medication-taking, which can improve patient outcomes.

Prevalence of prescription and illicit drugs in suicides by non-poisoning means in the National Violent Death Reporting System 2003-2017

Background: Prescription and illicit drugs are important social environmental variables in many suicides regardless of their role as an immediate cause of death. Objectives: To investigate the presence of prescription and illicit drugs, either through mention in the death record or toxicology reports, among suicides attributed to nonpoisonous causes to identify patterns of risk. Methods: Using the 2003-2017 National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), we examined the presence of prescription and illicit drugs among 143,175 suicides (119,563 males 23,612 females) due to firearms and suffocation/hanging. The presence of drugs (opioids, stimulants, benzodiazepines, muscle relaxants, and cannabis) was determined from toxicology reports and text searches of coroner/medical examiner and law enforcement summaries. We fit multivariable logistic regression models to estimate associations between drug class and suicide method adjusting for decedent characteristics. Results: Overall prescription and illicit drugs were present in 22% of firearm deaths and 28% of suffocation deaths. Among victims with toxicology reports, over 20% tested positive for benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines were mentioned in 4% of firearm and 5% of suffocation suicides without toxicology testing. Stimulants were more likely to occur in suffocation than firearm deaths among victims with toxicology testing (aOR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.33-1.56) and without toxicology testing (aOR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.31-1.98). Conclusions: Benzodiazepines were most frequently identified in both toxicology reports and narratives of suicides by firearms or suffocation. Better distinction of the presence of prescription and illicit drugs in the environment versus apparent ingestion among non-poisoning suicides are needed to inform prevention approaches.

Assessing the feasibility, usability and acceptability of the MySafeRx platform among individuals in outpatient buprenorphine treatment: Lessons learned from a pilot randomized controlled trial

Background

Increasing buprenorphine/naloxone (B/N) access for opioid use disorder (OUD) is essential yet ensuring adherence and preventing diversion remains challenging. This study examines the feasibility, usability, and acceptability of MySafeRx, a mobile platform integrating motivational coaching, adherence monitoring, and electronic dispensing during office-based B/N treatment.

Methods

In this multi-site randomized controlled trial, MySafeRx provided coaching and supervised self-administration of B/N by mobile recovery coaches (MRCs) via videoconference. Referred adults (ages 18-65) with OUD were randomized to 1) 42-days of adjunctive MySafeRx treatment (n = 13) or 2) a standard care control group (n = 14).

Results

The randomized sample was 63% female and 100% White. Twelve of 13 MySafeRx participants completed at least one MRC session. The mean system usability score reported by MySafeRx participants was 78.4 (n = 12). Participants indicated they would recommend MySafeRx to a friend (mean= 4.1 of 5), and that the dispenser (4.1 of 5) and videoconferencing (4.2 of 5) were easy to use. The MRC component had the highest acceptability (4.4 of 5). MRCs observed B/N self-administration for an average of 64.3% of the required study days (men: 68.9%; women: 57.9%). On average, men (n = 4) met with MRCs on 32±14 days versus 47±6 days for women (n = 8). Exploratory analyses did not show significant differences between intervention and control groups.

Conclusions

Despite the small sample, this study supports usability and acceptability of MySafeRx. Increased adherence monitoring, even with remote coaching had limited appeal, which impacted feasibility due to slow recruitment, especially as community prescribing with relaxed monitoring requirements became more widespread.

Virtual management of hypertension: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic-International Society of Hypertension position paper endorsed by World Hypertension League and European Society of Hypertension

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic caused an unprecedented shift from in person care to delivering healthcare remotely. To limit infectious spread, patients and providers rapidly adopted distant evaluation with online or telephone-based diagnosis and management of hypertension. It is likely that virtual care of chronic diseases including hypertension will continue in some form into the future. The purpose of the International Society of Hypertension's (ISH) position paper is to provide practical guidance on the virtual management of hypertension to improve its diagnosis and blood pressure control based on the currently available evidence and international experts' opinion for nonpregnant adults. Virtual care represents the provision of healthcare services at a distance with communication conducted between healthcare providers, healthcare users and their circle of care. This statement provides consensus guidance on: selecting blood pressure monitoring devices, accurate home blood pressure assessments, delivering patient education virtually, health behavior modification, medication adjustment and long-term virtual monitoring. We further provide recommendations on modalities for the virtual assessment and management of hypertension across the spectrum of resource availability and patient ability.

Technologies for Medication Adherence Monitoring and Technology Assessment Criteria: Narrative Review

BACKGROUND

Accurate measurement and monitoring of patient medication adherence is a global challenge because of the absence of gold standard methods for adherence measurement. Recent attention has been directed toward the adoption of technologies for medication adherence monitoring, as they provide the opportunity for continuous tracking of individual medication adherence behavior. However, current medication adherence monitoring technologies vary according to their technical features and data capture methods, leading to differences in their respective advantages and limitations. Overall, appropriate criteria to guide the assessment of medication adherence monitoring technologies for optimal adoption and use are lacking.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to provide a narrative review of current medication adherence monitoring technologies and propose a set of technology assessment criteria to support technology development and adoption.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and ProQuest Technology Collection (2010-present) using the combination of keywords medication adherence, measurement technology, and monitoring technology. The selection focused on studies related to medication adherence monitoring technology and its development and use. The technological features, data capture methods, and potential advantages and limitations of the identified technology applications were extracted. Methods for using data for adherence monitoring were also identified. Common recurring elements were synthesized as potential technology assessment criteria.

RESULTS

Of the 3865 articles retrieved, 98 (2.54%) were included in the final review, which reported a variety of technology applications for monitoring medication adherence, including electronic pill bottles or boxes, ingestible sensors, electronic medication management systems, blister pack technology, patient self-report technology, video-based technology, and motion sensor technology. Technical features varied by technology type, with common expectations for using these technologies to accurately monitor medication adherence and increase adoption in patients' daily lives owing to their unobtrusiveness and convenience of use. Most technologies were able to provide real-time monitoring of medication-taking behaviors but relied on proxy measures of medication adherence. Successful implementation of these technologies in clinical settings has rarely been reported. In all, 28 technology assessment criteria were identified and organized into the following five categories: development information, technology features, adherence to data collection and management, feasibility and implementation, and acceptability and usability.

CONCLUSIONS

This narrative review summarizes the technical features, data capture methods, and various advantages and limitations of medication adherence monitoring technology reported in the literature and the proposed criteria for assessing medication adherence monitoring technologies. This collection of assessment criteria can be a useful tool to guide the development and selection of relevant technologies, facilitating the optimal adoption and effective use of technology to improve medication adherence outcomes. Future studies are needed to further validate the medication adherence monitoring technology assessment criteria and construct an appropriate technology assessment framework.

An Android-Based Mobile App (ARVPredictor) for the Detection of HIV Drug-Resistance Mutations and Treatment at the Point of Care: Development Study

BACKGROUND

HIV/AIDS remains one of the major global human health challenges, especially in resource-limited environments. By 2017, over 77.3 million people were infected with the disease, and approximately 35.4 million individuals had already died from AIDS-related illnesses. Approximately 21.7 million people were accessing ART with significant clinical outcomes. However, numerous challenges are experienced in the delivery and accurate interpretation of data on patients with HIV data by various health care providers at different care levels. Mobile health (mHealth) technology is progressively making inroads into the health sector as well as medical research. Different mobile devices have become common in health care settings, leading to rapid growth in the development of downloadable software specifically designed to fulfill particular health-related purposes.

OBJECTIVE

We developed a mobile-based app called ARVPredictor and demonstrated that it can accurately define HIV-1 drug-resistance mutations in the HIV pol gene for use at the point of care.

METHODS

ARVPredictor was designed using Android Studio with Java as the programming language and is compatible with both Android and iOS. The app system is hosted on Nginx Server, and network calls are built on PHP's Laravel framework handled by the Retrofit Library. The DigitalOcean offers a high-performance and stable cloud computing platform for ARVPredictor. This mobile app is enlisted in the Google Play Store as an "ARVPredictor" and the source code is available under MIT permissive license at a GitHub repository. To test for agreement between the ARVPredictor and Stanford HIV Database in detecting HIV subtype and NNRT and NRTI mutations, a total of 100 known HIV sequences were evaluated.

RESULTS

The mobile-based app (ARVPredictor) takes in a set of sequences or known mutations (protease, reverse transcriptase and integrase). It then returns inferred levels of resistance to selected nucleoside, nonnucleoside protease, and integrase inhibitors for accurate HIV/AIDS management at the point of care. The ARVPredictor identified similar HIV subtypes in 98/100 sequences compared with the Stanford HIV Database (κ=0.98, indicating near perfect agreement). There were 89/100 major NNRTI and NRTI mutations identified by ARVPredictor, similar to the Stanford HIV Database (κ=0.89, indicating near perfect agreement). Eight mutations classified as major by the Stanford HIV Database were classified as others by ARVPredictor.

CONCLUSIONS

The ARVPredictor largely agrees with the Stanford HIV Database in identifying both major and minor proteases, reverse transcriptase, and integrase mutations. The app can be conveniently used robustly at the point of care by HIV/AIDS care providers to improve the management of HIV infection.

Implementation of first episode psychosis intervention in India - A case study in a low-and middle-income country

First Episode Psychosis (FEP) is a serious mental illness affecting adolescents and young persons. While many effective interventions are available, there has not been much research to understand the implementation of such interventions in India and other low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). We studied the implementation of an FEP intervention program in a specialist mental health facility in Chennai, India, using a well-established framework for doing so, the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). We conducted 27 in-depth interviews with the service users (15 persons with FEP and 12 family caregivers of persons with FEP). We also conducted a focus group discussion with 8 service providers and in-depth interviews with 7 other service providers including those in the service management. A thematic analysis approach was used to identify emerging themes. First, we found CFIR effectively accommodated implementation challenges evident in LMICs; that is, it is transferable to LMIC settings. Second, we highlight barriers to implementation that include cost, limited human resources, cultural and professional hierarchy, divergence from evidence-based guidelines, and lack of awareness and stigma in the wider community. Third, we highlight facilitators for implementation such as, leadership engagement, the need for change that was recognized within the service, cosmopolitan perspectives derived from clinicians’ local and international collaborative experiences and expertise, compatibility of the intervention with the existing systems within the organization, accommodating the needs of the service users, and rapport developed by the service with the service users. Fourth, we propose a model of service delivery incorporating a task-sharing approach for first episode psychosis in resource restricted settings based on the feedback from the stakeholders.

•

Implementation of interventions for First Episode Psychosis in India is explored systematically.

•

Resource constraints, cultural factors, lack of awareness, and stigma are the main barriers to the implementation.

•

Buy-in from the service providers, accommodating the needs and developing rapport with the service users are the facilitators.

Self-directed Technology-Based Therapeutic Methods for Adult Patients Receiving Mental Health Services: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Technological interventions used to treat illnesses and promote health are grouped under the umbrella term of digital therapeutics. The use of digital therapeutics is becoming increasingly common in mental health. Although many technologies are currently being implemented, research supporting their usability, efficacy, and risk requires further examination, especially for those interventions that can be used without support.

OBJECTIVE

This review aims to identify the evidence-based, self-directed, technology-based methods of care that can be used in adult patients after they are discharged from mental health services. The interventions reviewed are automated with no human input required (either at the patient's or at the technology's end), so the patients can implement them without any support.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) guidelines in 3 databases: PubMed, Web of Science, and OVID. The inclusion criteria were self-directed, automated, and technology-based interventions related to mental health, primarily for adults, having a solid evaluation process. The interventions had to be self-directed, in that the participants could use the technology without any external guidance.

RESULTS

We identified 36 papers that met the inclusion criteria: 26 randomized controlled trials, 9 nonrandomized controlled trial quantitative studies, and 1 qualitative study. The technologies used included websites, automated text messaging, phone apps, videos, computer software, and integrated voice response. There were 22 studies focused on internet-based cognitive behavioral therapies as a therapeutic paradigm compared with the waitlist, web-based human-delivered therapy, and other interventions. Among these studies, 14 used paradigms other than the internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy. Of the 8 studies comparing guided and unguided digital care, 3 showed no differences, 3 favored guided interventions, and 2 favored unguided interventions. The research also showed that dropout rates were as high as 80%, citing potential problems with the acceptability of the suggested technologies.

CONCLUSIONS

There is limited research on the efficacy and suitability of self-directed technology-based care options for mental health. Digital technologies have the potential to bridge the gap between ambulatory care and independent living. However, these interventions may need to be developed collaboratively with the users to encourage their acceptability and to avoid high dropout rates.

Methylphenidate augmentation of escitalopram to enhance adherence to antidepressant treatment: a pilot randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Adherence to treatment, i.e. the extent to which a patient's therapeutic engagement coincides with the prescribed treatment, is among the most important problems in mental health care. The current study investigated the influence of pairing an acute positive reinforcing dopaminergic/noradrenergic effect (methylphenidate, MPH) with a standard antidepressant on the rates of adherence to medication treatment. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether MPH + escitalopram resulted in higher rates of medication adherence relative to placebo + escitalopram.

METHODS

Twenty participants with moderate to severe depression were 1-1 randomized to either (1) 5 mg MPH + 10 mg escitalopram or (2) placebo + 10 mg escitalopram with the possibility for a dose increase at 4 weeks. A Bayesian analysis was conducted to evaluate the outcomes.

RESULTS

First, neither percent Pill count nor Medication Electronic Monitoring System adherence showed that MPH was superior to placebo. In fact, placebo showed slightly higher adherence rates on the primary (7.82% better than MPH) and secondary (7.07% better than MPH) outcomes. There was a less than 25% chance of MPH augmentation showing at least as good or better adherence than placebo. Second, both groups showed a significant effect of treatment on the QIDS-SR with a median effect of an 8.6-point score reduction. Third, neither subjective measures of adherence attitudes nor socio-demographic covariates had a significant influence on the primary or secondary outcome variables.

CONCLUSIONS

These data do not support the use of MPH to increase adherence to antidepressant medication in individuals with moderate to severe depression. CLINICALTRIALS.

GOV IDENTIFIER

NCT03388164 , registered on 01/02/2018.

Deciding to discontinue prescribed psychotropic medication: A qualitative study of service users' experiences

Many mental health service users decide to discontinue their psychotropic medication at some stage in the treatment process; however, few studies have captured these experiences. This study aimed to explore people's experiences of coming off medication. A qualitative descriptive design and individual interviews with 23 people who experienced coming off medication were employed. COREQ checklist was used. Data were analysed using inductive and deductive approaches and six major themes were developed. Findings suggest that while medication was useful for many in the short-term, the adverse effects had significant impact and contributed to the decision to come off medication. Participants also reported being driven by a questioning of the biomedical model of treatment and the belief that there were other strategies to manage their distress. Mixed experiences of support from healthcare professionals for the medication cessation process were reported. The discontinuation process was often difficult resulting in changes in mood and behaviour which for many culminated in relapse of distress, rehospitalization and return to medication. To support the process of coming off and staying off medication, participants identified a range of useful strategies but particularly highlighted the importance of peer support. Findings from this study demonstrate the importance of mental health nurses having a collaborative discussion with service users which may support safer decision-making and lessen the risk of people discontinuing medication abruptly. Finding also indicates a need for robust studies that develop and test interventions to support people who wish to discontinue psychotropic medications.

New approaches to antipsychotic medication adherence - safety, tolerability and acceptability

INTRODUCTION

Antipsychotic pharmacotherapy is considered a first-line treatment in schizophrenia-related disorders and is associated with favorable prognosis and lower mortality rates. However, low adherence rates present a major clinical challenge. In this paper, we will review contemporary approaches to improve adherence to antipsychotic treatment, considering their mechanism of action, safety, tolerability and acceptability.

AREAS COVERED

Novel pharmacological delivery methods included different routes of administration of registered medications (such as intramuscular clozapine preparation and transdermal asenapine), modifications of existing compounds (such as 3-monthly injectable formulation of paliperidone palmitate), and increased interest in oral long-acting medication formulations (such as with penfluridol). In addition, we reviewed innovative technology to monitor adherence, based on the use of electronic digital medicine systems and ingestible sensors.

EXPERT OPINION

All of these diverse approaches were clinically relevant in enhancing treatment adherence and found to be safe and tolerable. The place of each approach is predicated on a personalized approach in each patient, and future research could usefully use large comparative studies to establish robust treatment guidelines. The implementation of new and varied approaches to antipsychotic treatment adherence is welcomed and have the potential to make a significant impact on morbidity in this often difficult-to-treat population.

Researching on the compliance of epilepsy patients of the Phenobarbital Epilepsy Management Project in a rural area of China: A retrospective study

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to explore the compliance of epilepsy patients in the Phenobarbital Epilepsy Management Project in a rural area of China and its influencing factors, so as to provide the basis for further strategies.A retrospective study researching on the compliance of epilepsy patients in the Phenobarbital Epilepsy Management Project of Rural China was conducted. The Nan County, Hunan Province as a typical rural China was selected as the study site. We collected the compliance and other relative factors from 2017 to 2019 though the Phenobarbital Epilepsy Management Project data system.The good compliance patients in the Phenobarbital Epilepsy Management Project in a rural area of China were 98.99% (393/397); only 4 cases had poor compliance. The factors affecting the compliance of epilepsy patients were "adverse reactions of digestive tract symptoms," "how the patient felt physically, mentally, or working and learning ability during this period," and "the ratio of the attack to the previous one."The rate of good compliance among the epilepsy patients in the Phenobarbital Epilepsy Management Project in a rural area of China was high. More attention to education, patients' psychology, and the curative effect of family members may improve the compliance of patients with epilepsy further.

Potential Uses of Blockchain Technology for Outcomes Research on Opioids

The scale and severity of the opioid epidemic call for innovative, multipronged solutions. Research and development is key to accelerate the discovery and evaluation of interventions that support pain and substance use disorder management. In parallel, the use and integration of blockchain technology within research networks holds the potential to address some of the unique challenges facing opioid research. This paper discusses the applications of blockchain technology and illustrates potential ways in which it could be applied to strengthen the validity of outcomes research on the opioid epidemic. We reviewed published and gray literature to identify useful applications of blockchain, specifically those that address the challenges faced by opioid research networks and programs. We then convened a panel of experts to discuss the strengths, limitations, and feasibility of each application. Blockchain has the potential to address some of the issues surrounding health data management, including data availability, data sharing and interoperability, and privacy and security. We identified five primary applications of blockchain to opioids: clinical trials and pharmaceutical research, incentivizing data donation and behavior change, secure exchange and management of e-prescriptions, supply chain management, and secondary use of clinical data for research and public health surveillance. The published literature was limited, leading us to rely on gray literature, which was also limited in its discussion of the technical aspects of implementation. The technical expert panel provided additional context and an assessment of feasibility that was lacking in the literature. Research on opioid use and misuse is challenging because of disparate data stored across different systems, data and system interoperability issues, and legal requirements. These areas must be navigated to make data accessible, timely, and useful to researchers. Blockchain technologies have the potential to act as a facilitator in this process, offering a more efficient, secure, and privacy-preserving solution for data exchange. Among the 5 primary applications, we found that clinical trial research, supply chain management, and secondary use of data had the most examples in practice and the potential effectiveness of blockchain. More discussions and studies should focus on addressing technical questions concerning scalability and tackling practical concerns such as cost, standards, and governance around the implementation of blockchain in health care. Policy concerns related to balancing the need for data accessibility that also protects patient privacy and autonomy in revoking consent should also be examined.

Psychiatry in the Digital Age: A Blessing or a Curse?

Social distancing and the shortage of healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of population aging on the healthcare system, as well as the rapid pace of digital innovation are catalyzing the development and implementation of new technologies and digital services in psychiatry. Is this transformation a blessing or a curse for psychiatry? To answer this question, we conducted a literature review covering a broad range of new technologies and eHealth services, including telepsychiatry; computer-, internet-, and app-based cognitive behavioral therapy; virtual reality; digital applied games; a digital medicine system; omics; neuroimaging; machine learning; precision psychiatry; clinical decision support; electronic health records; physician charting; digital language translators; and online mental health resources for patients. We found that eHealth services provide effective, scalable, and cost-efficient options for the treatment of people with limited or no access to mental health care. This review highlights innovative technologies spearheading the way to more effective and safer treatments. We identified artificially intelligent tools that relieve physicians from routine tasks, allowing them to focus on collaborative doctor-patient relationships. The transformation of traditional clinics into digital ones is outlined, and the challenges associated with the successful deployment of digitalization in psychiatry are highlighted.

Characterizing the Clinical use of a Novel Video-assisted Dosing Protocol With Secure Medication Dispensers to Reduce Barriers to Opioid Treatment

OBJECTIVES

Distance and travel costs to opioid treatment programs (OTPs), especially in rural communities, are barriers to treatment for opioid use disorder. Retention rates at 12 months in our OTP are 55% (range 53%-61%). We piloted a novel treatment platform utilizing a video directly observed therapy (VDOT) smartphone app and a secure medication dispenser to support adherence with take-home doses of methadone or buprenorphine while enabling patients to maintain prosocial activities, reduce time and cost of travel, and increase retention.

METHODS

Participants (n = 58) were adults in a Vermont OTP. Inclusion criteria included travel hardship, access to Wi-Fi or cellular network, and having an iPhone 4S or Android 4.0 or greater. Patients received a dispenser, VDOT app, clinic dispensed medication, counseling, and urine drug testing. Chart reviews assessed VDOT compliance, engagement in prosocial activities, travel costs and time savings, and treatment disposition/retention. Project-associated costs were examined.

RESULTS

Of the 15,831 expected videos, 15,581 (98.4%) were received and only 10 (0.063%) showed signs of medication noncompliance with 1 (0.0064%) showing an overt attempt at diversion. About 93% of participants engaged in prosocial activities, travel time and costs were reduced 86%, median cost saved $72 weekly, median travel time saved 5.5 hours weekly and 98% of participants were in treatment 12 months later.

CONCLUSIONS

VDOT participants using dispensers showed high levels of medication ingestion integrity, had favorable clinical stability, and lower travel time and costs. These findings suggest that using VDOT with dispensers may hold promise as an innovative platform for supporting medication adherence.

Patient Experiences with the Transition to Telephone Counseling during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: To identify and document the treatment experiences among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) in the context of the rapid move from in-person to telephone counseling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants (n = 237) completed a survey with open-ended questions that included the following domains: (1) satisfaction with telephone counseling, (2) perceived convenience, (3) changes to the therapeutic relationship, (4) perceived impact on substance use recovery, and (5) general feedback. Responses were coded using thematic analysis. Codes were subsequently organized into themes and subthemes (covering 98% of responses). Interrater reliability for coding of participants' responses ranged from 0.89 to 0.95. Results: Overall, patients reported that telephone counseling improved the therapeutic experience. Specifically, 74% of respondents were coded as providing responses consistently indicating "positive valency". "Positive valency" responses include: (1) feeling supported, (2) greater comfort and privacy, (3) increased access to counselors, and (4) resolved transportation barriers. Conversely, "negative valency" responses include: (1) impersonal experience and (2) reduced privacy. Conclusions: Telephone counseling presents its own set of challenges that should be investigated further to improve the quality of care and long-term patient outcomes.

Effect of a mobile-based intervention on mental health in frontline healthcare workers against COVID-19: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial

AIM

To evaluate the impact of a psychoeducational, mobile health intervention based on cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness-based approaches on the mental health of healthcare workers at the frontline against COVID-19 in Spain.

DESIGN

We will carry out a two-week, individually randomized, parallel group, controlled trial. Participants will be individually randomized to receive the PsyCovidApp intervention or control App intervention.

METHODS

The PsyCovidApp intervention will include five modules: emotional skills, lifestyle behaviour, work stress and burnout, social support, and practical tools. Healthcare workers having attended patients with COVID-19 will be randomized to receive the PsyCovidApp intervention (intervention group) or a control App intervention (control group). A total of 440 healthcare workers will be necessary to assure statistical power. Measures will be collected telephonically by a team of psychologists at baseline and immediately after the 2 weeks intervention period. Measures will include stress, depression and anxiety (DASS-21 questionnaire-primary endpoint), insomnia (ISI), burnout (MBI-HSS), post-traumatic stress disorder (DTS), and self-efficacy (GSE). The study was funded in May 2020, and was ethically approved in June 2020. Trial participants, outcome assessors and data analysts will be blinded to group allocation.

DISCUSSION

Despite the increasing use of mobile health interventions to deliver mental health care, this area of research is still on its infancy. This study will help increase the scientific evidence about the effectiveness of this type of intervention on this specific population and context.

IMPACT

Despite the lack of solid evidence about their effectiveness, mobile-based health interventions are already being widely implemented because of their low cost and high scalability. The findings from this study will help health services and organizations to make informed decisions in relation to the development and implementation of this type of interventions, allowing them pondering not only their attractive implementability features, but also empirical data about its benefits.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT04393818 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).

APPROVED FUNDING

May 2020.

A Mobile Phone-Based Intervention to Reduce Mental Health Problems in Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic (PsyCovidApp): Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

The global health emergency generated by the COVID-19 pandemic is posing an unprecedented challenge to health care workers, who are facing heavy workloads under psychologically difficult situations. Mental mobile Health (mHealth) interventions are now being widely deployed due to their attractive implementation features, despite the lack of evidence about their efficacy in this specific population and context.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a psychoeducational, mindfulness-based mHealth intervention to reduce mental health problems in health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We conducted a blinded, parallel-group, controlled trial in Spain. Health care workers providing face-to-face health care to patients with COVID-19 were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive the PsyCovidApp intervention (an app targeting emotional skills, healthy lifestyle behavior, burnout, and social support) or a control app (general recommendations about mental health care) for 2 weeks. The participants were blinded to their group allocation. Data were collected telephonically at baseline and after 2 weeks by trained health psychologists. The primary outcome was a composite of depression, anxiety, and stress (overall score on the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 [DASS-21]). Secondary outcomes were insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index), burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey), posttraumatic stress (Davidson Trauma Scale), self-efficacy (General Self-Efficacy Scale), and DASS-21 individual scale scores. Differences between groups were analyzed using general linear modeling according to an intention-to-treat protocol. Additionally, we measured the usability of the PsyCovidApp (System Usability Scale). The outcome data collectors and trial statisticians were unaware of the treatment allocation.

RESULTS

Between May 14 and July 25, 2020, 482 health care workers were recruited and randomly assigned to PsyCovidApp (n=248) or the control app (n=234). At 2 weeks, complete outcome data were available for 436/482 participants (90.5%). No significant differences were observed between the groups at 2 weeks in the primary outcome (standardized mean difference -0.04; 95% CI -0.11 to 0.04; P=.15) or in the other outcomes. In our prespecified subgroup analyses, we observed significant improvements among health care workers consuming psychotropic medications (n=79) in the primary outcome (-0.29; 95% CI -0.48 to -0.09; P=.004), and in posttraumatic stress, insomnia, anxiety, and stress. Similarly, among health care workers receiving psychotherapy (n=43), we observed improvements in the primary outcome (-0.25; 95% CI -0.49 to -0.02; P=.02), and in insomnia, anxiety, and stress. The mean usability score of PsyCovidApp was high (87.21/100, SD 12.65). After the trial, 208/221 participants in the intervention group (94.1%) asked to regain access to PsyCovidApp, indicating high acceptability.

CONCLUSIONS

In health care workers assisting patients with COVID-19 in Spain, PsyCovidApp, compared with a control app, reduced mental health problems at 2 weeks only among health care workers receiving psychotherapy or psychotropic medications.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04393818; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04393818.

AI in patient flow: applications of artificial intelligence to improve patient flow in NHS acute mental health inpatient units

Introduction

Growing demand for mental health services, coupled with funding and resource limitations, creates an opportunity for novel technological solutions including artificial intelligence (AI). This study aims to identify issues in patient flow on mental health units and align them with potential AI solutions, ultimately devising a model for their integration at service level.

Method

Following a narrative literature review and pilot interview, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with AI and mental health experts. Thematic analysis was then used to analyse and synthesise gathered data and construct an enhanced model.

Results

Predictive variables for length-of-stay and readmission rate are not consistent in the literature. There are, however, common themes in patient flow issues. An analysis identified several potential areas for AI-enhanced patient flow. Firstly, AI could improve patient flow by streamlining administrative tasks and optimising allocation of resources. Secondly, real-time data analytics systems could support clinician decision-making in triage, discharge, diagnosis and treatment stages. Finally, longer-term, development of solutions such as digital phenotyping could help transform mental health care to a more preventative, personalised model.

Conclusions

Recommendations were formulated for NHS trusts open to adopting AI patient flow enhancements. Although AI offers many promising use-cases, greater collaborative investment and infrastructure are needed to deliver clinically validated improvements. Concerns around data-use, regulation and transparency remain, and hospitals must continue to balance guidelines with stakeholder priorities. Further research is needed to connect existing case studies and develop a framework for their evaluation.

A Brief Training Program to Support the Use of a Digital Pill System for Medication Adherence: Pilot Descriptive Study

Background

Digital pill systems (DPSs), which comprise ingestible radiofrequency sensors integrated into a gelatin capsule that overencapsulates a medication, can directly measure ingestion events.

Objective

Teaching users to operate a DPS is vital to ensure the collection of actionable ingestion and adherence data. In this study, we aim to develop and pilot a training program, grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model, to instruct individuals on DPS operation.

Methods

A two-part training program, comprising in-person and text message–based components, was used with HIV-negative men who have sex with men with nonalcohol substance use, who had enrolled in a 90-day pilot demonstration study using the DPS to measure adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis. We assessed the number of responses to text check-ins, the number and types of episodes where technical support was requested, the resolutions of such issues, and engagement with the program over the study period. Participant feedback on the program was evaluated through qualitative user experience interviews.

Results

A total of 15 participants were enrolled in and completed the program. Seven technical challenges related to DPS operations were reported across 5 participants. Most commonly, participants requested support connecting the wearable Reader device with their smartphone, charging the Reader, and operating the mobile app. A total of 6 issues were resolved asynchronously or in real time via phone; 1 required in-person evaluation and resolution. Preliminary qualitative findings indicate that both the in-person and remote follow-up components of the training program were perceived as acceptable. Suggested improvements included repeated DPS refresher sessions at in-person follow-up visits and enhanced written materials for the independent resolution of technological issues.

Conclusions

A brief two-part DPS training program, drawing from individuals’ experiences and from the Technology Acceptance Model, can provide valuable insights for users. The program also identifies and addresses several areas of actual or potential challenges related to operating a DPS and allows for the resolution of such issues within the first week of DPS use.

Perceived social support in patients with chronic pain with and without opioid use disorder and role of medication for opioid use disorder

BACKGROUND

A significant predictor of treatment outcomes for patients with chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) and opioid use disorder (OUD) is the degree and quality of social support they receive. Specifically, in patients with CNCP and on long-term opioid therapy, the development of OUD tends to be associated with losses in social support, while engagement in treatment for OUD improves support networks. Delivery of the evidence-based OUD treatment medications, methadone and buprenorphine, occurs in clinical environments which patently differ with respect to social support resources. The aims of this study were to describe perceived social support in patients with CNCP without OUD (no-OUD), with OUD and on buprenorphine (OUD-BP), and with OUD and on methadone (OUD-methadone).

METHODS

Using the Duke Social Support Index (DSSI), perceived social support in a sample of Caucasian patients with CNCP and on opioid therapy was compared between no-OUDs (n = 834), OUD-methadone (n = 83) and OUD-BP (n = 99) therapy. Average DSSI scores were compared across groups and a linear regression model computed to describe association between group and perceived social support.

RESULTS

No difference was observed in DSSI scores between no-OUDs and OUD-methadone, however scores were lower among OUD-BP participants than those receiving methadone (x = -5.2; 95% CI: -7.5, -2.9) and (x = -6.5, 95% CI: -8.2, -4.9).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with CNCP and OUD on methadone therapy endorse levels of social support comparable to those without OUD, however those on buprenorphine therapy report significantly less support, bringing implications for OUD treatment outcomes.

Effect of the ExactCare medication care management model on adherence, health care utilization, and costs

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity and polypharmacy are common in the United States and are associated with greater risk of disease-related complications and higher health care costs. ExactCare has implemented a high-touch approach that includes home visits, comprehensive ongoing medication reviews, patient education, medication reconciliation, medication compliance packaging, and electronic reminders and trackers. OBJECTIVE: To test whether the ExactCare program improves medication adherence and reduces health care utilization and costs. METHODS: Using a national database from a large U.S. insurer, we identified Medicare Advantage plan members in 8 states from 2007 to 2018 who had both medical and prescription drug coverage. The index year for an ExactCare patient was identified using the date of the first prescription filled by ExactCare, with the previous year being the baseline. All patients without a prescription from an ExactCare pharmacy were considered potential comparison patients. To propensity match ExactCare and comparison patients, the probability of ExactCare participation was modeled using a logistic regression based on demographics, state, year, urban status, Medicaid eligibility, low-income subsidies, comorbidities, and baseline utilization and costs. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to generate a difference-in-differences estimate of program effect for the matched pairs as well as patient-level fixed effects, while adjusting for additional time-varying characteristics. Adherence outcomes included the proportion of days covered for oral diabetic medications, antihypertensives, and hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins). Utilization outcomes included emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and skilled nursing facility (SNF) admissions, hospitalization days, and SNF days. Cost outcomes included total cost of care, prescription drug cost, hospital inpatient cost, and SNF cost. RESULTS: ExactCare patients (N = 701) were propensity-matched to comparison patients (N = 1,395) using the nearest 1:2 match approach, with an average follow-up period of 6.6 and 5.4 years for ExactCare and comparison patients, respectively. One year of ExactCare participation was associated with statistically significant increases in adherence to statins (8.4 percentage points; P < 0.001) and antihypertensive drugs (4.9 percentage points; P < 0.001), but the increase in adherence for diabetes drugs was not statistically significant. ExactCare participation was associated with statistically significant decreases in SNF admission rates (-67 SNF stays per 1,000 member-years; P = 0.011), inpatient days (-857 days per 1,000 member-years; P = 0.022), and SNF days (-1,801 days per 1,000 member-years; P = 0.002), but not with the rates of ED visits or hospital admissions. Each year of ExactCare participation was associated with increases in prescription drug costs ($30 per-member per month [PMPM]; P = 0.006) and decreases in total costs (-$196 PMPM; P = 0.023) and medical costs (-$226 PMPM; P = 0.008), largely attributable to decreases in hospital inpatient costs (-$119 PMPM; P = 0.001) and SNF costs (-$30 PMPM; P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: ExactCare's medication care management model was associated with improved medication adherence and an approximately $2,400 per member per year reduction in total cost of care, representing a 5% reduction in average costs. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded by ExactCare Pharmacy under a contract with RAND that grants the study authors sole responsibility for data management, study design, data analysis, manuscript drafting, and the decision to publish. The sponsor had no role in the study design and manuscript drafting. All data analysis was conducted by the study authors. A draft manuscript was reviewed by the sponsor, but the study authors made final decisions regarding the content and study conclusions. Shetty, Chen, and Liu are employed by RAND. Rose has nothing to disclose.

Telerehabilitation for Headache Management

Headache is one of the most disabling conditions in the world. Despite plentiful evidence supporting rehabilitation strategies, headache is significantly underassessed and undertreated. Obstacles to headache care include lack of available expertise in headache management, few available resources for effective assessment and treatment, and cost and disability that preclude treatment seeking in patients with headache. Telerehabilitation can allow providers to access expert consultation and gives patients easier access to assessment and treatment. This article covers existing telerehabilitation options for headache management and explores the strength of evidence supporting these approaches. Risks of telerehabilitation and recommendations for future development are discussed.

Hummingbird Study: Results from an Exploratory Trial Assessing the Performance and Acceptance of a Digital Medicine System in Adults with Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, or First-Episode Psychosis

PURPOSE

Symptoms of psychotic disorders can complicate efforts to accurately evaluate patients' medication ingestion. The digital medicine system (DMS), composed of antipsychotic medication co-encapsulated with an ingestible sensor, wearable sensor patches, and a smartphone application, was developed to objectively measure medication ingestion. We assessed performance and acceptance of the DMS in subjects with psychotic disorders.

METHODS

This was an 8-week open-label, single-arm, multicenter, Phase 4 pragmatic study (NCT03568500; EudraCT #2017-004602-17). Eligible adults were diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or first-episode psychosis; were receiving aripiprazole, quetiapine, olanzapine, or risperidone; and could use the DMS with the application downloaded on a personal smartphone. The primary endpoint was good patch coverage, defined as the proportion of days over the assessment period where ≥80.0% of patch data was available, or an ingestion was detected. Exploratory endpoints included a survey on user satisfaction, used to assess acceptance of the DMS. Safety analyses included the incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs).

RESULTS

From May 25, 2018 to March 22, 2019, 55 subjects were screened and 44 were enrolled. Good patch coverage was achieved on 63.4% of days assessed and the DMS generated an adherence metric of ≥80.0%, reflecting the percentage of ingestion events expected when good patch coverage was reported. Most subjects (53.5%) were satisfied with the DMS. Medical device skin irritations were the only TEAEs reported.

CONCLUSION

The DMS had sufficient performance in, and acceptance from, subjects with psychotic disorders and was generally well tolerated.

Heartrate variability biofeedback for migraine using a smartphone application and sensor: A randomized controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Although hand temperature and electromyograph biofeedback have evidence for migraine prevention, to date, no study has evaluated heartrate variability (HRV) biofeedback for migraine.

METHODS

2-arm randomized trial comparing an 8-week app-based HRV biofeedback (HeartMath) to waitlist control. Feasibility/acceptability outcomes included number and duration of sessions, satisfaction, barriers and adverse events. Primary clinical outcome was Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MSQv2).

RESULTS

There were 52 participants (26/arm). On average, participants randomized to the Hearthmath group completed 29 sessions (SD = 29, range: 2-86) with an average length of 6:43 min over 36 days (SD = 27, range: 0, 88) before discontinuing. 9/29 reported technology barriers. 43% said that they were likely to recommend Heartmath to others. Average MSQv2 decreases were not significant between the Heartmath and waitlist control (estimate = 0.3, 95% CI = -3.1 - 3.6). High users of Heartmath reported a reduction in MSQv2 at day 30 (-12.3 points, p = 0.010) while low users did not (p = 0.765).

DISCUSSION

App-based HRV biofeedback was feasible and acceptable on a time-limited basis for people with migraine. Changes in the primary clinical outcome did not differ between biofeedback and control; however, high users of the app reported more benefit than low users.

COVID-19 and treating incarcerated populations for opioid use disorder

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office (FCSO), in Greenfield, Massachusetts, is among the first jails nationwide to provide correctional populations with access to all three medications to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD, i.e., buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone). In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, FCSO quickly implemented comprehensive mitigation policies and adapted MOUD programming. Two major challenges for implementation of the MOUD program were the mandated rapid release of nonviolent pretrial individuals, many of whom were being treated with MOUD and released too quickly to conduct continuity of care planning; and establishing how to deliver physically distanced MOUD services in jail. FCSO implemented and adapted a hub-and-spoke MOUD model, developed telehealth capacity, and experimented with take-home MOUD at release to facilitate continuity-of-care as individuals re-entered the community. Experiences underscore how COVID-19 accelerated the uptake and diffusion of technology-infused OUD treatment and other innovations in criminal justice settings. Looking forward, to address both opioid use disorder and COVID-19, jails and prisons need to develop capacity to implement mitigation strategies, including universal and rapid COVID-19 testing of staff and incarcerated individuals, and be resourced to provide evidence-based addiction treatment. FCSO quickly pivoted and adapted MOUD programming because of its history of applying public health approaches to address the opioid epidemic. Utilizing public health strategies can enable prisons and jails to mitigate the harms of the co-occurring epidemics of OUD and COVID-19, both of which disproportionately affect criminal justice populations, for persons who are incarcerated and the communities to which they return.