This paper is in the following e-collection/theme issue:

UConn CHASM 6th Annual Conference 2022: "Telehealth and Remote Care in a Post-Pandemic World" (54)

Published on in Vol 9 (2023)

Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/39858, first published .
Physicians’ and Individuals’ Attitudes Toward Digital Mental Health Tools: Protocol for a Web Survey Study With Physician and Stakeholder Interviews

Physicians’ and Individuals’ Attitudes Toward Digital Mental Health Tools: Protocol for a Web Survey Study With Physician and Stakeholder Interviews

Physicians’ and Individuals’ Attitudes Toward Digital Mental Health Tools: Protocol for a Web Survey Study With Physician and Stakeholder Interviews

Authors of this article:

Diogo Nogueira-Leite1 Author Orcid Image ;   Ricardo Cruz-Correia1 Author Orcid Image
Article Authors Cited by Tweetations Metrics

    Abstract

    Department of Community Medicine, Information and Decision in Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Corresponding Author:

    Diogo Nogueira-Leite, MSc

    Department of Community Medicine, Information and Decision in Health

    Faculty of Medicine

    University of Porto

    Rua Dr Plácido da Costa

    Porto, 4200-450

    Portugal

    Phone: 351 913667140

    Email: diogo.fdnl@gmail.com


    Background: Digital transformation is impacting health care delivery and showing great market dynamism, bringing opportunities and concerns alike. Digital health applications are a vibrant segment where regulation is emerging, with Germany paving the way with its DiGA program. Simultaneously, anxiety and depression constitute global health concerns, and their prevalence is expected to worsen due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its containment measures. Portugal and its National Health System may be a useful testbed for digital health interventions seeking to manage anxiety and depression. This research methodology is very relevant in studies on mental health, making the protocol highly reusable.

    Objective: The paper outlines the protocol for a research project on the attitudes of physicians and potential users toward digital mental health apps to improve access to care and patient outcomes and to reduce the burden of disease for anxiety and depression.

    Methods: Web surveys will be conducted to acquire data from main stakeholders (physicians and academic community). Data analysis will replicate studies from Dahlhausen and Borghouts to derive conclusions regarding the relative acceptance and likelihood of successful implementation of digital mental health apps in Portugal.

    Results: The findings of the proposed studies will elicit important information on how physicians and individuals perceive digital mental health apps interventions to improve access to care and patient outcomes and to reduce the burden of disease for anxiety and depression.

    Conclusions: The results of the studies projected in this research protocol will have implications for researchers and academia, industry, and policy makers regarding the adoption and implementation of digital health mental apps and associated interventions.

    Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

    iproc 2023;9:e39858

    doi:10.2196/39858

    Keywords

    mental health; digital technology; depression; anxiety; government regulation; mobile apps 

    Edited by S Pagoto; This is a non–peer-reviewed article. submitted 25.05.22; accepted 22.12.22; published 23.01.23

    Copyright

    ©Diogo Nogueira-Leite, Ricardo Cruz-Correia. Originally published in Iproceedings (https://www.iproc.org), 23.01.2023.

    This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in Iproceedings, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.iproc.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.