TY - JOUR
T1 - Understanding mental health professionals' perspectives and practices regarding the implementation of digital mental health
T2 - qualitative study
AU - Mendes-Santos, Cristina
AU - Nunes, Francisco
AU - Weiderpass, Elisabete
AU - Santana, Rui
AU - Andersson, Gerhard
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors wish to acknowledge the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union—Phoenix Joint doctoral program on Dynamics of Health and Welfare, Fraunhofer AICOS, and the Foundation for Science and Technology (individual research grant 2020.09045.BD)—for supporting CMS. The authors thank all participants and Elsa Oliveira and Ana Alves for their assistance with data collection and early analysis.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 JMIR Publications Inc.. All right reserved.
PY - 2022/4/1
Y1 - 2022/4/1
N2 - Background: Despite the potential of digital mental health to provide cost-effective mental health care, its adoption in clinical settings is limited, and little is known about the perspectives and practices of mental health professionals regarding its implementation or the factors influencing these perspectives and practices. Objective: This study aims to characterize in depth the perspectives and practices of mental health professionals regarding the implementation of digital mental health and explore the factors affecting such perspectives and practices. Methods: A qualitative study using in-depth semistructured interviews with Portuguese mental health professionals (N=13)-psychologists and psychiatrists-was conducted. The transcribed interviews were thematically analyzed. Results: Mental health professionals deemed important or engaged in the following practices during the implementation of digital mental health: indication evaluation, therapeutic contract negotiation, digital psychological assessment, technology setup and management, and intervention delivery and follow-up. Low-threshold accessibility and professionals' perceived duty to provide support to their clients facilitated the implementation of digital mental health. Conversely, the lack of structured intervention frameworks; the unavailability of usable, validated, and affordable technology; and the absence of structured training programs inhibited digital mental health implementation by mental health professionals. Conclusions: The publication of practice frameworks, development of evidence-based technology, and delivery of structured training seem key to expediting implementation and encouraging the sustained adoption of digital mental health by mental health professionals.
AB - Background: Despite the potential of digital mental health to provide cost-effective mental health care, its adoption in clinical settings is limited, and little is known about the perspectives and practices of mental health professionals regarding its implementation or the factors influencing these perspectives and practices. Objective: This study aims to characterize in depth the perspectives and practices of mental health professionals regarding the implementation of digital mental health and explore the factors affecting such perspectives and practices. Methods: A qualitative study using in-depth semistructured interviews with Portuguese mental health professionals (N=13)-psychologists and psychiatrists-was conducted. The transcribed interviews were thematically analyzed. Results: Mental health professionals deemed important or engaged in the following practices during the implementation of digital mental health: indication evaluation, therapeutic contract negotiation, digital psychological assessment, technology setup and management, and intervention delivery and follow-up. Low-threshold accessibility and professionals' perceived duty to provide support to their clients facilitated the implementation of digital mental health. Conversely, the lack of structured intervention frameworks; the unavailability of usable, validated, and affordable technology; and the absence of structured training programs inhibited digital mental health implementation by mental health professionals. Conclusions: The publication of practice frameworks, development of evidence-based technology, and delivery of structured training seem key to expediting implementation and encouraging the sustained adoption of digital mental health by mental health professionals.
KW - barriers
KW - digital mental health
KW - drivers
KW - EU
KW - European Union
KW - implementation
KW - internet interventions
KW - mental health professionals
KW - Portugal
KW - psychotherapy
KW - technology acceptance and adoption
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85124987037&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2196/32558
DO - 10.2196/32558
M3 - Article
C2 - 35412459
AN - SCOPUS:85124987037
VL - 6
JO - JMIR Formative Research
JF - JMIR Formative Research
SN - 2561-326X
IS - 4
M1 - e32558
ER -
