Development and testing of iAware model for ubiquitous care of patients with symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression

Background and objective: This work proposes a model for ubiquitous care of patients with anxiety, depression and stress disorders using gamification and biodata, called iAware. Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent mental disorders, reaching million people worldwide. As they share many characteristics these two disorders can manifest themselves together. In addition, stress is one of the related factors with both depression and anxiety, being relevant in the analysis of these disorders. This work was carried out through a study on depression, anxiety and stress disorders (DASD), their treatments and the use of gamification as a means of engagement.

Methods: A/B tests evaluated with a clinical population the interaction engagement of the patient to the treatment provided by gamification. The iAware monitors and applies interventions for the patient at the most appropriate time, based on the patient's history. In order to evaluate iAware, six patients used a prototype with a smartband for two weeks. The patients also filled out a survey based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The survey was composed of 10 sentences and the results of each one are discussed.

Results: Interactions with intervention stages were greater in patients who used iAware gamified. The patients who used iAware got more occurrences of anxiety at home and in the afternoon and night. TAM evaluation showed that patients considered the use of iAware useful in their anxiety treatment routine.

Conclusions: The results pointed out that biodata is a supplementary alternative for DASD monitoring. In addition, the research work showed that the use of iAware for the support of anxiety treatment is useful for patients. Patients who used iAware without gamification did not perform or score the treatment activities. The evaluation showed evidence that the game improved the engagement of patients in the iAware use.