Highly adaptable smartphone-based monitoring for patients with severe mental illness: Feasibility and usability study

TL;DR

A smartphone app called Recovery Cat was tested for monitoring patients with severe mental illness, showing good adherence and usability.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the feasibility of a highly adaptable smartphone-based monitoring system for severe mental illness.

Findings

84.61% of participants had an adherence rate of over 50% during the 90-day trial.

The System Usability Scale showed a positive user experience with a mean score of 82.40.

29 out of 49 participants completed the study, indicating reasonable retention.

Abstract

Severe mental illness (SMI) requires continuous treatment. Smartphone-based monitoring enables real-time data collection and offers a way of complementing clinical workflows by creating a bridge between patients and providers. Since their needs often differ, collaborative and highly adaptable tools are warranted. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the highly adaptable remote-measurement-based care intervention Recovery Cat for patients with SMI. Specifically, we aimed to assess patient adherence and retention rates of the system as well as patients’ and providers’ perceptions of its usability.

Forty-nine patients were recruited for the 90-day trial and were provided with Recovery Cat a smartphone app designed to collaboratively set up and monitor clinical symptoms and functional parameters. Data were collected through daily self-reports. Feasibility was assessed by the dropout rate and user engagement, while user-friendliness was evaluated by the System Usability Scale (SUS).

29 participants completed the study. The majority were single, unemployed, diagnosed with an affective disorder, had prior psychiatric treatment, and were in continuous outpatient psychiatric care. EMA data were available for 26 participants. 84.61% (n = 22) had an adherence rate of over 50%. The mean number of days between data entry was 1.48 (sd = 2.02). The SUS indicated a positive user experience with a mean of 82.40 (sd = 11.57).

The results suggest that highly adaptable smartphone-based monitoring is feasible for patients with SMI. High adherence rates and positive usability scores indicate that this approach holds promise for enhancing mental health care.

Figures