JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Digital data collection is an emerging trend in various domains, including the medical and psychological field. The rapid extent of Digital innovation for the collection of data has transformed the way in which health professionals collect, share, and analyse health information for better clinical decision-making and health care. It is a rapidly expanding medical field with a significant impact on the improvement of the quality of health care, decreasing the costs of the health system and enhancing research processes In the last decade, there has been an increased interest in telemedicine by mental health agencies: the gap between the need for care and possible answers both for diagnosis and treatment is wide and digital technology could play a fundamental role. However, there are limited data on the effectiveness of the clinical process and cost-effectiveness of most telemedicine applications.

Objective:

The current study examined the implementation of the first Italian online Web-based multi comprehensive screening tool and described the screening and diagnostic process in a Child Psychopathology clinic through the interactive Web platform. This is a feasibility study that aims to present the design, the implementation of the best practices to improve patient experiences and clinical outcomes. Moreover, the paper puts on light the evaluation of the platform with qualitative and quantitative measures.

Methods:

We planned, designed, and implemented a web-based system to collect, store and manage clinical data The platform was developed by a multi-disciplinary team composed of researchers, clinicians, and informatics professionals, through different steps. 1. defining clinical information to be collected. A number of measures were chosen tapping several clinical risk areas, such as neurodevelopmental disorders, emotional and behavioral problems. Measures were selected for their feasibility in routine clinical practice and psychometric performance. 2. web application architecture and process design. The three phases of process design are described in detail: design of the input interface; processing design; design of the output interface 3. system implementation and evaluation. Based on indicators recommended by the National Quality Forum and the Italian National Guidelines, we evaluated the quality of the System and used quantitative measures that were replicable and comparable over time.

Results:

We present the implemented architecture and features of MedicalBIT (Medea Information and Clinical Assessment On-Line) According to the Italian National Guide and the National Quality Forum, we provide performance measures for the data collected between October 2018 and June 2021. Measure concepts selected pertain to four domains: access to care, financial impact/cost, experience, effectiveness.

Conclusions:

In this study, we present the successful implementation of an innovative digital tool. The findings of this study showed that the implemented web-based platform appears to be an efficient, cost-effectiveness, and feasible way to improve digital care in the field of child psychiatry.