Mobile health (mHealth) interventions for psychiatry in Switzerland and Russia: a comparative study

Abstract

During the past decade, the use of digital technology to promote mental health has increased dramatically. Additionally, the consequences of the COVID pandemic, such as travel restrictions and the disruption of face-to-face interactions, have led to an increase in the usage of digital technologies. A wide variety of technologies have been developed, ranging from messaging chat bots to virtual reality technologies and from direct-to-consumer apps to technologies that are fully integrated into clinical care tools. Russia and Switzerland have not been blind spots on the map of such technologies. However, the use of digital technology to promote mental health has taken different paths in these two healthcare settings. The following study is based on the opinions of mental health specialists in both countries in 2019–2020 regarding the use of digital health technologies in psychiatry. We investigate the state of adoption of digital technologies in the field of mental health, the meaning of such technology and the factors that are crucial to the use of such technology in psychiatry. Our study also explores the structural and legal barriers to technology adoption in Switzerland and Russia.