JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Digital technology, which includes the collection, analysis, and use of data from a variety of digital devices, has the potential for reducing the prevalence of disorders and improving mental health in populations. Among the many advantages of digital technology is that it allows preventive and clinical interventions, both of which are needed to reduce prevalence of mental health disorders, to be feasibly integrated into health care and community delivery systems and delivered at scale. However, the use of digital technology also presents a number of challenges, including how systems can manage and implement interventions in a rapidly changing digital environment and handle critical issues that affect population wide outcomes, including reaching the targeted population, obtaining meaningful levels of uptake and use of interventions, and achieving significant outcomes.

Objective:

We describe one possible solution, which is to have an outcome optimization team that focuses on the dynamic use of data to author and adapt interventions for populations, while at the same time, addressing the complex relationships among reach, uptake, use, and outcome. We use the example of eating disorders in young people to illustrate how this solution could be implemented at scale. We also discuss a number of system, practitioner, and other issues related to the adoption of such an approach. Conclusion Digital technology has great potential for facilitating reduction of mental illness rates in populations. However, achieving this goal will require the implementation of new approaches. As one solution, we argue for the need to create outcome optimization teams, tasked with integrating data from various sources and using advanced data analytics and new designs to develop interventions/strategies to increase reach, uptake, use/engagement, and outcomes for both preventive and treatment interventions.