Mental Health Screening in General Practices as a Means for Enhancing Uptake of Digital Mental Health Interventions: Observational Cohort Study
BackgroundDigital mental health interventions stand to play a critical role in managing the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, enhancing their uptake is a key priority. General practitioners (GPs) are well positioned to facilitate access to digital intervent...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| Online Access: | https://www.jmir.org/2021/9/e28369 |
| _version_ | 1797735713290059776 |
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| author | Alexis E Whitton Rebecca Hardy Kate Cope Chilin Gieng Leanne Gow Andrew MacKinnon Nyree Gale Kathleen O'Moore Josephine Anderson Judith Proudfoot Nicole Cockayne Bridianne O'Dea Helen Christensen Jill Maree Newby |
| author_facet | Alexis E Whitton Rebecca Hardy Kate Cope Chilin Gieng Leanne Gow Andrew MacKinnon Nyree Gale Kathleen O'Moore Josephine Anderson Judith Proudfoot Nicole Cockayne Bridianne O'Dea Helen Christensen Jill Maree Newby |
| author_sort | Alexis E Whitton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
BackgroundDigital mental health interventions stand to play a critical role in managing the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, enhancing their uptake is a key priority. General practitioners (GPs) are well positioned to facilitate access to digital interventions, but tools that assist GPs in identifying suitable patients are lacking.
ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the suitability of a web-based mental health screening and treatment recommendation tool (StepCare) for improving the identification of anxiety and depression in general practice and, subsequently, uptake of digital mental health interventions.
MethodsStepCare screens patients for symptoms of depression (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire) and anxiety (7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale) in the GP waiting room. It provides GPs with stepped treatment recommendations that include digital mental health interventions for patients with mild to moderate symptoms. Patients (N=5138) from 85 general practices across Australia were invited to participate in screening.
ResultsScreening identified depressive or anxious symptoms in 43.09% (1428/3314) of patients (one-quarter were previously unidentified or untreated). The majority (300/335, 89.6%) of previously unidentified or untreated patients had mild to moderate symptoms and were candidates for digital mental health interventions. Although less than half were prescribed a digital intervention by their GP, when a digital intervention was prescribed, more than two-thirds of patients reported using it.
ConclusionsImplementing web-based mental health screening in general practices can provide important opportunities for GPs to improve the identification of symptoms of mental illness and increase patient access to digital mental health interventions. Although GPs prescribed digital interventions less frequently than in-person psychotherapy or medication, the promising rates of uptake by GP-referred patients suggest that GPs can play a critical role in championing digital interventions and maximizing the associated benefits. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:02:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0dd5b2d068ad481cbd2bbb988c6411b4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1438-8871 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:02:46Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-0dd5b2d068ad481cbd2bbb988c6411b42023-08-28T19:05:15ZengJMIR PublicationsJournal of Medical Internet Research1438-88712021-09-01239e2836910.2196/28369Mental Health Screening in General Practices as a Means for Enhancing Uptake of Digital Mental Health Interventions: Observational Cohort StudyAlexis E Whittonhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7944-2172Rebecca Hardyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4953-273XKate Copehttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5223-3194Chilin Gienghttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8179-7899Leanne Gowhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1347-6804Andrew MacKinnonhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0831-9801Nyree Galehttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2733-3679Kathleen O'Moorehttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5211-9095Josephine Andersonhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2936-0531Judith Proudfoothttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3872-9871Nicole Cockaynehttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0155-1202Bridianne O'Deahttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1731-210XHelen Christensenhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0435-2065Jill Maree Newbyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6473-9811 BackgroundDigital mental health interventions stand to play a critical role in managing the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, enhancing their uptake is a key priority. General practitioners (GPs) are well positioned to facilitate access to digital interventions, but tools that assist GPs in identifying suitable patients are lacking. ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the suitability of a web-based mental health screening and treatment recommendation tool (StepCare) for improving the identification of anxiety and depression in general practice and, subsequently, uptake of digital mental health interventions. MethodsStepCare screens patients for symptoms of depression (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire) and anxiety (7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale) in the GP waiting room. It provides GPs with stepped treatment recommendations that include digital mental health interventions for patients with mild to moderate symptoms. Patients (N=5138) from 85 general practices across Australia were invited to participate in screening. ResultsScreening identified depressive or anxious symptoms in 43.09% (1428/3314) of patients (one-quarter were previously unidentified or untreated). The majority (300/335, 89.6%) of previously unidentified or untreated patients had mild to moderate symptoms and were candidates for digital mental health interventions. Although less than half were prescribed a digital intervention by their GP, when a digital intervention was prescribed, more than two-thirds of patients reported using it. ConclusionsImplementing web-based mental health screening in general practices can provide important opportunities for GPs to improve the identification of symptoms of mental illness and increase patient access to digital mental health interventions. Although GPs prescribed digital interventions less frequently than in-person psychotherapy or medication, the promising rates of uptake by GP-referred patients suggest that GPs can play a critical role in championing digital interventions and maximizing the associated benefits.https://www.jmir.org/2021/9/e28369 |
| spellingShingle | Alexis E Whitton Rebecca Hardy Kate Cope Chilin Gieng Leanne Gow Andrew MacKinnon Nyree Gale Kathleen O'Moore Josephine Anderson Judith Proudfoot Nicole Cockayne Bridianne O'Dea Helen Christensen Jill Maree Newby Mental Health Screening in General Practices as a Means for Enhancing Uptake of Digital Mental Health Interventions: Observational Cohort Study Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| title | Mental Health Screening in General Practices as a Means for Enhancing Uptake of Digital Mental Health Interventions: Observational Cohort Study |
| title_full | Mental Health Screening in General Practices as a Means for Enhancing Uptake of Digital Mental Health Interventions: Observational Cohort Study |
| title_fullStr | Mental Health Screening in General Practices as a Means for Enhancing Uptake of Digital Mental Health Interventions: Observational Cohort Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mental Health Screening in General Practices as a Means for Enhancing Uptake of Digital Mental Health Interventions: Observational Cohort Study |
| title_short | Mental Health Screening in General Practices as a Means for Enhancing Uptake of Digital Mental Health Interventions: Observational Cohort Study |
| title_sort | mental health screening in general practices as a means for enhancing uptake of digital mental health interventions observational cohort study |
| url | https://www.jmir.org/2021/9/e28369 |
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