Validation of the InnoWell Platform: Protocol for a Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background New electronic health technologies are being rapidly developed to improve the delivery of mental health care for both health professionals and consumers and better support self-management of care. We developed a Web-based platform (the InnoWell Platform) that supports the prevention, early intervention, treatment, and continuous monitoring of mental health and maintenance of well-being in people aged 2 years and older. The platform is a customizable digital tool kit that operates through existing service providers who utilize the system to provide their consumers with access to evidence-based assessments and feedback, intervention options, and outcome monitoring. It does this by collecting, storing, and reporting personal and health information back to consumers and their health professionals to promote collaborative care partnerships that aim to improve the management of mental ill health and maintenance of well-being Objective The aim of this study was to describe the research protocol for a naturalistic prospective clinical trial wherein all consumers presenting for care to a traditional face-to-face or Web-based mental health service in which the InnoWell Platform is being offered as part of standard clinical care will be given the opportunity to use the platform. Methods The Web-based platform is a configurable and customizable digital tool that assists in the assessment, monitoring and management of mental ill health, and maintenance of well-being. It does this by collecting, storing, and reporting health information back to the person and his or her clinician to enable transformation to person-centered care. The clinical trial will be conducted with individuals aged 2 years and older presenting to participating services for care, including persons from the veteran community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex community, and those from broader education and workforce sectors, as well as people with disabilities, lived experience of comorbidity, complex disorders, and suicidality. Results Project Synergy was funded in June 2017, and data collection began in November 2018 at a youth mental health service. At the time of this publication, 5 additional services have also begun recruitment, including 4 youth mental health services and a veteran’s service. The first results are expected to be submitted in 2020 for publication. Conclusions This clinical trial will promote access to comprehensive, high-quality mental health care to improve outcomes for consumers and health professionals. The data collected will be used to validate a clinical staging algorithm designed to match consumers with the right level of care and reduce the rate of suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors and suicide by suggesting pathways to care that are appropriate for the ident...

Right care, first time: a highly personalised and measurement‐based care model to manage youth mental health

“…It has been developed to improve the delivery of mental health care by services and health professionals and for consumers, and validation of the Platform is currently underway in a clinical trial . Such novel HITs can facilitate the delivery of comprehensive assessments, reduce the burden on the face‐to‐face system, ease disclosure of embarrassing problems, expedite an earlier response to risk, enhance consumer engagement, simplify longitudinal monitoring and create the potential for highly personalised and measurement‐based care (Chapter 4). While the inclusion of self‐report assessments in clinical services and HITs (such as the InnoWell Platform) is intended to reduce health professional and consumer burden, we recognise that health professionals may need to guide some consumers through self‐report scales and questionnaires, which may require greater effort and time — health professionals should therefore aim to achieve an appropriate balance.…”

“…The InnoWell Platform is an emerging HIT which aims to support prevention, early intervention, treatment and continuous monitoring of mental ill health and maintenance of wellbeing (https://www.innowell.org/). It has been developed to improve the delivery of mental health care by services and health professionals and for consumers, and validation of the Platform is currently underway in a clinical trial . Such novel HITs can facilitate the delivery of comprehensive assessments, reduce the burden on the face‐to‐face system, ease disclosure of embarrassing problems, expedite an earlier response to risk, enhance consumer engagement, simplify longitudinal monitoring and create the potential for highly personalised and measurement‐based care (Chapter 4).…”

Project Synergy: co‐designing technology‐enabled solutions for Australian mental health services reform

“…The co‐designed online platform developed through Project Synergy collects, stores, scores and reports clinical data back to the consumer and their health professional to promote person‐centred care, self‐management, early intervention, shared decision making and routine outcome monitoring (see the Box in Chapter 1) . These core principles align with those of similar health information technologies aiming to help consumers access better mental health care (eg, Monsenso mHealth solution) .…”

“…The results of the assessment are summarised and made immediately available via a “dashboard of results” to both the young person and their health professional(s) via the service provider. The dashboard provides a multidimensional profile of the young person's health and wellbeing that in turn facilitates person‐centred care, self‐management, early intervention, shared decision making and routine outcome monitoring . Importantly, the online dashboard is based on a clinical staging model which has been validated in a youth mental health service setting .…”

The “uberisation” of mental health care: a welcome global phenomenon?

“…Fortunately, we have a rich tradition of innovation in this domain (). As described in the Supplement accompanying this issue of the MJA , the Australian Government has invested in Project Synergy, which is now conducting research studies with mental health service partners (including urban and regional headspace centres, Open Arms – Veterans and Families Counselling, and the Butterfly National Helpline) . These studies, four of which are described in the Supplement, highlight both the potential for real change but also the challenges that emerge (eg, ethical, legal, funding, telecommunications infrastructure) in moving to contemporary technology‐enhanced service environments.…”