Advancing the practice of online psychotherapy: An application of Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory.

Abstract

With the advancements of technology and its increasing use in all spheres of life, clinicians too are faced with the decision of whether to adopt or refrain from adopting certain innovations in their practice. This article discusses the process of adopting clinical innovations within a theoretical framework, namely diffusion of innovations theory (DIT; Rogers, 2003). DIT constructs are applied to the example of online therapy adoption into clinical practice. Nine adoption barriers are identified, including issues of dehumanizing the therapeutic environment, start-up cost and reimbursement, infrastructure and training, licensure and jurisdiction concerns, ethical guidelines, both client and clinician suitability factors, and professional reputation and acceptance within the field. The authors conclude with a theory-based discussion of activities that may help to accelerate the adoption of online therapy among professional psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Evidence-Based Evaluation of eHealth Interventions: Systematic Literature Review

“…[39].  Triability: the ability of the innovation to be tested on a small scale before the final implementation [40].  Maturity: whether the system has been used on a sufficient number of patients to address all the technical problems [36]  Interoperability: communication between the technology and the pre-existing systems, the fit between the technology and the existing work practices [37].…”

“… Usability: broad experience of the users with the system. [29,33,37,40].  Privacy and security: safety and reliability of the technology [29], and security of the data managed in the technology [37,38].…”

“…Technological aspect  Ensure trust [38], effectiveness, and contribution of quality of care [30,36] of the technology implemented.  System performance: hardware and software requirements, correct functioning of the components [29,38], and system capability to meet users' needs and fit the work patterns of the healthcare system' professionals [30,39,40].  Usability: broad experience of the users with the system.…”

Perceived Drivers and Barriers to the Adoption of eMental Health by Psychologists: The Construction of the Levels of Adoption of eMental Health Model (Preprint)

“…A barrier frequently reported by therapists pertains to the lack of the full range of non-verbal cues during mediated communication, as they feel this heightens the risk of misunderstanding and does not allow for the development of a strong therapeutic relationship [14]. It has to be noted though that systematic studies that investigate these concerns are lacking [15].…”

Attitudes of coaches towards the use of computer-based technology in coaching.

“…Therefore, concerning this matter, computer-based coaching should apply best practices of other fields and contexts where these problems have already been tackled. For example, the American Medical Association has included ethical principles and guidelines concerning telemedicine in their Ethics Code to guide physicians about best practices in telemedicine (Lovejoy, Demireva, Grayson, & McNamara, 2009). The American Psychological Association (2013) and the Canadian Psychological Association (2006) have developed guidelines that recommend best practices for the use of communication technology for rendering psychological services.…”