Evaluation of a Psychoeducational Group to Expand Mobile Application Knowledge and Use in a Veteran Residential Treatment Program

Abstract

Despite the availability of free, evidence-informed mental health mobile applications (apps) to support Veterans and Service Members, interventions are needed to ensure patients are aware of the developed resources. A psychoeducational group was developed and evaluated by a quality improvement project in the context of a Department of Veterans Affairs residential treatment program. Four weekly group sessions introduced 82 Veterans to two similarly themed apps at each group and supported Veteran installation, introduction to the clinical subject matter, app orientation and demonstration, and device/app troubleshooting. Although 94% owned a smartphone, prior to the group, seven of eight apps introduced during the group had been used by fewer than 10% of participants. Following group participation, the proportion of participants agreeing that they were comfortable using mental health apps increased from 33% at baseline to 75%. Similarly, relative to 54% of participants at baseline who agreed that they were aware of available mental health mobile applications, the proportion rose to 89% after the group. Most participants rated three apps as “helpful” or “very helpful” (Breath2Relax, Mindfulness Coach, and PTSD Coach) and most participants reported they were likely to use these apps in the future. Results and qualitative feedback identified needed improvements to the group, including the replacement of some featured apps and the inclusion of automated app usage metrics. Well-designed implementation studies of dissemination strategies are needed to inform best practices for the adoption of these promising interventions.

The Virtual Hope Box mobile application: A systematic review of the literature

“…A study by Harned et al. (2023) implemented a psychoeducational group to expand knowledge and use of mobile health applications among veterans. Individuals at a VA residential treatment program ( n = 82) attended four weekly psychoeducational groups.…”

“…Prior to group participation, 29.4% of participants reported hearing about the VHB while 9.9% reported using it. After the group, 44% of the participants noted that they found the VHB helpful and 46% indicated that they intended to use the VHB in the future (Harned et al., 2023). Results may have been impacted by the fact that suicidal ideation or self‐perceived suicide risk was rare among participants.…”

“…This was even true among VA mental health patients even though the VA has listed the VHB on every veteran's safety plan as a recommended resource. Fortunately, three studies in the review reported very positive results after examining psychoeducational efforts with patients and providers to increase their knowledge of the app and decrease barriers to its use (Armstrong et al., 2020; Harned et al., 2023). It is possible that broad, passive dissemination strategies would benefit from more active implementation approaches that integrate the app into clinical care pathways, for example.…”

“…Three studies explored approaches to implementing the VHB in clinical settings or increasing provider adoption of the application. A study by Harned et al (2023) implemented a psychoeducational group to expand knowledge and use of mobile health applications among veterans. Individuals at a VA residential treatment program (n = 82) attended four weekly psychoeducational groups.…”

Current clinical applications of artificial intelligence in shoulder surgery: what the busy shoulder surgeon needs to know and what’s coming next

“… 18 Though privacy is a reasonable and foreseeable concern, there are already experiences implementing such software in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. 28 , 65 Apart from smart devices, braces and sleeves have technology that allows continuous patient monitoring in their daily living and/or sports activity. 32 , 44 One example is the motusBASEBALL sleeve (Motus Global Inc., Massapequa, NY, USA) that houses a small inertial measurement unit that allows measuring throw counts, peak elbow varus torque, arm speed, arm slot, maximum shoulder rotation, and workload.…”