Differences in the Use and Opinions About New eHealth Technologies Among Patients With Psychosis: Structured Questionnaire

Abstract

BackgroundDespite a growing interest in the use of technology in order to support the treatment of psychotic disorders, limited knowledge exists about the viability and acceptability of these eHealth interventions in relation to the clinical characteristics of patients.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to assess the access and use of, as well as experiences and interest in, new technologies using a survey of patients diagnosed with early psychosis compared with a survey of patients diagnosed with chronic psychotic disorders.MethodsWe designed a structured questionnaire. This questionnaire was divided into five parts: (1) clinical and demographic information, (2) access and use of the internet, (3) use of the internet in relation to mental health, (4) experiences with technology, and (5) patients’ interest in eHealth services. In total, 105 patients were recruited from early psychosis units (n=65) and recovery units (n=40).ResultsIn this study, 84.8% (89/105) of the patients had access to the internet and 88.6% (93/105) owned an electronic internet device. In total, 71.3% (57/80) of patients who owned a mobile phone were interested in eHealth systems and 38.2% (37/97) reported negative experiences related to the internet usage. We observed differences between the groups in terms of device ownership (P=.02), the frequency of internet access (P<.001), the use of social media (P=.01), and seeking health information (P=.04); the differences were found to be higher in the early psychosis group. No differences were found between the groups in terms of the use of internet in relation to mental health, experiences and opinions about the internet, or interest in eHealth interventions (P=.43).ConclusionsThe availability and use of technology for the participants in our survey were equivalent to those for the general population. The differences found between the groups in relation to the access or use of technology seemed to due to age-related factors. The use of technology involving mental health and the interest in eHealth interventions were mainly positive and equivalent between the groups. Accordingly, this group of patients is a potential target for the emerging eHealth interventions, regardless of their clinical status. However, 28.7% (23/80) of the studied patients rejected the use of internet interventions and 38.2% (37/97) had unpleasant experiences related to its usage; thus, more in-depth studies are needed to better define the profile of patients with psychosis who may benefit from eHealth treatments.

ReMindCare App for Early Psychosis: Pragmatic Real World Intervention and Usability Study

“…With regard to the feasibility of the app, no significant differences were found between the ReMindCare group and the TAU group in terms of sociodemographic characteristics except for native country. The feasibility of this intervention aligns with the results obtained in our previous study [ 8 ], where we found no differences in terms of sociodemographic characteristics and interest in using eHealth interventions.…”

“…Smartphone apps have been proposed as tools to mitigate social isolation, lack of access to care, and other triggers caused by the pandemic [ 3 - 5 ]. Researchers have already demonstrated that access to and use of technology among people with psychosis is nearly equivalent to that in the general population [ 6 - 8 ], but less is known about the actual efficacy of apps in care.…”

“…Other concerns have also limited efforts to integrate these apps into care settings. In our previous study [ 8 ], we found that 20% to 23% of patients felt anxious, suspicious, or paranoid concerning the internet, and almost 25% of patients perceived that use of the internet was directly related to one of their relapses. In addition, some studies indicated that excessive eHealth communications could be regarded as intrusive or irritating [ 24 , 25 ] or could increase worries about illness [ 25 ].…”

The digital revolution and its impact on mental health care

“…A common strategy some individuals with severe mental health problems use to self‐manage is to use digital devices/tools/systems/platforms to access information about mental health problems on the Internet. Recent surveys have reported rates of mental health online information‐seeking by people with severe mental health problems of between 38% and 78% (Bauer et al ., ; Bonet et al ., ; Gay, Torous, Joseph, Pandya, & Duckworth, ). Additionally, qualitative studies reveal that many people interviewed with psychosis describe searching for information about mental health online to aid their own understanding of their experiences; to read information about medication, side effects, and diagnosis; and to seek information about coping skills (Aref‐Adib et al ., ; Lal, Nguyen, & Theriault, ).…”

A qualitative exploration of service user views about using digital health interventions for self-management in severe mental health problems

“…[8,[27][28][29][30]). Furthermore, recent survey-based studies have reported that many people with severe mental health problems are amenable to receiving technology-delivered support [31][32][33] and already use technology to facilitate self-management and assessment through activities such as information-seeking, symptom monitoring, medication and appointment reminders and receiving support from others online [31,34,35]. However, evidence regarding service user views towards DHIs and ideas for future developments is limited and survey-based designs have not gathered in-depth and detailed information that can be yielded qualitatively [36].…”