Tablet-based support for older adults with severe mood disorders treated in an ambulatory geriatric psychiatry setting: Protocol of a feasibility study of the eCare@Home platform

Josien Schuurmans; Juliette L van der Linden; Wouter van Ballegooijen; Jeroen Ruwaard; Max L Stek; Jan H Smit; Heleen Riper

doi:10.1016/j.invent.2016.09.001

Tablet-based support for older adults with severe mood disorders treated in an ambulatory geriatric psychiatry setting: Protocol of a feasibility study of the eCare@Home platform

Internet Interv. 2016 Sep 5:6:22-28. doi: 10.1016/j.invent.2016.09.001. eCollection 2016 Nov.

Authors

Josien Schuurmans¹, Juliette L van der Linden^{1

2}, Wouter van Ballegooijen^{1

2

3}, Jeroen Ruwaard³, Max L Stek^{1

2}, Jan H Smit^{1

2}, Heleen Riper^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Research & Innovation, GGZ inGeest, Amsterdam, P.O. Box 7057, Amsterdam MB 1007, The Netherlands.
² Department of Psychiatry and EMGO + Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, BT 1081 Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
³ Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences/Department of Clinical, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, Clinical Psychology section, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Introduction: Although older adults are just as likely to benefit from e-mental health as their younger counterparts, there are virtually no applications specifically designed to accommodate the needs of older adults with recurrent depression or bipolar disorder. Recurrent mood disorders constitute a large and rising proportion of the global disease in older populations, indicating a need for more e-mental health applications targeting this group. This paper describes the theoretical background and methodology of a study examining the feasibility of a tablet-based self-management platform for older adults with recurrent mood disorders. The eCare@Home platform was designed to 1) improve patients' awareness and knowledge of recurrent mood disorders and their treatment, 2) promote self-management through the use of a simple daily monitoring tool, and 3) facilitate online contact with their clinician through videoconferencing.

Methods: The design involves a single-group four-month pilot study, with measurements at baseline (T0), and at weeks 8 and 16 (T1 and T2). The target group consists of older outpatients (aged 60 or above) who are undergoing treatment for recurrent depressive or bipolar disorder (N = 50), and their clinicians (N = 10). Primary feasibility endpoints will be system acceptability, system usability, and client satisfaction with the platform. In addition, qualitative data from semi-structured interviews in N = 10 patients and N = 5 clinicians will be gathered to provide more insight into user experiences and evaluations of the platform's added value.

Discussion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a tablet-based e-mental health platform for older adults with severe mood disorders. If tablet-based support for this group is shown to be feasible, the intention is to proceed with the design of a large-scale process and outcome evaluation. The strengths and limitations of the methodology used are addressed in this article.Trial Registration: registration is pending.

Keywords: Bipolar disorder; Depression; E-health; E-mental health; Feasibility; Late life mood disorders; Older adults; Pilot; Self-management; Tablet-based support.