Perspective of patients with first-episode psychosis, their relatives, and mental health professionals on the design and usability of an app in clinical practice.

Abstract

Therapeutic non-compliance remains the main difficulty for people with psychotic disorders, standing around 50% in people with schizophrenia. Lack of treatment adherence, either partial or total, to medication has economic and clinical consequences. E-health technologies may be a promising therapeutic tool to improve adherence, with the subsequent reduction in clinical and economic burden. Our aims were to know the preferences on how technologies in mental health treatment should be for use in clinical practice, and to learn about the opinion and preferences on the use of technologies in mental health treatment from the perspectives of patients with FEP, their relatives, and mental health professionals. Forty-one patients with a diagnosis of first-episode psychosis (FEP), 18 relatives and 49 mental health professionals were included in the study. They completed an online survey related to the use, availability and user-skill of online platforms and apps created by a group of experts in psychosis and in the use of technologies. Data were summarized in frequencies, percentages, and means, and Chi-square tests were used to calculate differences between-groups. An app directed to people with psychosis would be well received by users if it contains psychoeducational material, offers reminders for scheduled visits and treatment and allows online consultations. Co-creating an app with users, their families and mental health professionals allows incorporating their preferences to increase its use, improve outpatient care and creating an app that is viable in clinical practice.