Presenters
- Jennifer Caspari, PhD, Assistant Professor and Director of Behavioral Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
- Maxine Notice, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Central Missouri, Omaha, NE
- Margaret Emerson, DNP, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
- Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, PhD, Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center, NE
- Danae Dinkel, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE
Summary
Depression is one of most common mental health conditions and the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting about one in 10 adults in the US. Depression treatment is vital for underserved primary care patients who often experience multiple chronic medical conditions along with higher rates of health disparities. These challenges are very complex. Emerging evidence suggests mobile app technology can aid in the self-management of depression. Yet, there is limited research exploring the use of mobile health apps in this population with specific gaps concerning the feasibility of integrating these tools. Filling this gap is needed to inform evidence-based training, clinician tools, and educational material to facilitate the implementation of mobile apps with clinical care. Attendees, who could be at any stage in their education or careers, will learn about the process and results from a study that explored the feasibility of integrating depression self-management smartphone apps into primary care for an underserved patient population with depression. Adult patients with an active or previous depression diagnosis were eligible to participate. Participants were asked to complete measures which explored self-efficacy, and patient activation, along with questions pertaining to smartphone ownership, type of data plan, and willingness to use apps for self-management. Patient and provider/staff focus groups were conducted at clinic sites to explore the feasibility of using smartphone apps for depression management. Initial findings suggest that patients are likely to attempt app use for self-management when physicians make this suggestion. Results also suggest that giving patients an array of smartphone apps to choose from increases their likelihood of app use. The presentation will also include descriptive statistics, survey results, provider and patient perspectives of app integration into standard of care, and future directions.
Objectives
- Identify strategies for selecting appropriate and useful self-management technology tools for use in primary care.
- Describe patient perspectives that are pertinent to the utilization of mobile apps in integrated primary care settings.
- Describe provider and clinic staff perspectives regarding the use of depression related mobile app technology within integrated primary care settings.
