Feasibility of digital monitoring in patients receiving ambulatory psychiatric care

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Mental Health Monitoring
• Ambulatory Care

Background:

• Smartphone-based digital monitoring offers a promising approach for tracking mental disorders in ambulatory care.
• Real-world feasibility data for such digital tools remain limited, necessitating further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of digital monitoring in routine ambulatory mental healthcare.
• To identify clinical determinants influencing patient engagement and retention in digital monitoring.

Main Methods:

• A naturalistic study involving 212 patients in ambulatory care.
• Assessed baseline engagement via app installation and retention over 90 days.
• Collected clinical data including age, gender, diagnosis (ICD-10), and severity (CGI-S).

Main Results:

• 148 out of 212 patients installed the eB2 MindCare app; 82.5% were retained over 90 days.
• Patient engagement and retention were not significantly influenced by age, gender, diagnosis, or severity.
• Impulsive disorder diagnosis correlated with earlier digital monitoring interruption within the first 90 days.

Conclusions:

• Clinical characteristics generally do not impact engagement or retention in digital mental health monitoring.
• Patients with impulsive disorders may require adapted digital monitoring strategies for sustained participation.
• Tailoring digital monitoring for impulsive disorders could enhance patient outcomes in ambulatory care.