Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Mental Health
Date Submitted: Mar 30, 2020
Date Accepted: May 18, 2020
“Our Online Life is Integrated with Our Physical Life” : End Users’ Perspectives on the Design and Delivery of a Blended Model of Care in First-Episode Psychosis Treatment
ABSTRACT
Background:
A small number of studies have found that digital mental health interventions can be feasible and acceptable for young people with FEP, however, little research has examined how they might be blended with face-to-face approaches in order to enhance care. The term ‘blended treatment’ refers to the integration of digital and face-to-face mental health care, which has the potential to capitalize on the evidence-based features of both individual modalities, whilst exceeding the sum of its parts by creating online-offline mental health unification. This integration could bridge the online-offline treatment divide and better reflect the interconnected and often complementary ways young people navigate their everyday digital and physical lives.
Objective:
This study aimed to gain young people’s perspectives on the design and implementation of a blended model of care in First-Episode Psychosis treatment.
Methods:
This qualitative study was underpinned by an End-User Development framework and based on semi-structured interviews with 10 participants. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
Results:
Three superordinate themes emerged relating to young people’s perspectives on the design and implementation of a blended model of care in FEP treatment: (i) Blended Features (ii) Cautions, and (iii) Therapeutic Alliance.
Conclusions:
Young people were very enthusiastic about the prospect of blended models of mental health treatment. Aspects of blended treatment that could enhance clinical care were readily identified by young people as; increasing accessibility, continuity, and consolidation, accessing post-therapy support, strengthening the relationship between young person and clinician, and tracking personal data that could be used to better inform clinical decision making. Tone, body language, and facial expressions, however, were identified as important aspects of communication that young people felt would be lacking in a purely digital space. Further, the potential of underreporting symptoms through mood tracking was identified. In conclusion, blended care was identified as an avenue through which to enhance people’s experience of mental health treatment. Future research is needed to investigate the efficacy of blended models of care by evaluating its impact on therapeutic alliance, engagement and treatment effects.
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