Acceptability of digital mental health tools
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating design, usability, and acceptability of conversation in a digital tool for common mental health concerns
IRAS ID
313701
Contact name
Andrew Welchman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
ieso
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Mental health conditions —such as depression and anxiety— are common, costly, and in need of timely interventions. Despite their high prevalence, and the associated economic, human and societal costs, access to care remains poor across the globe. Even in high income countries such as the UK, only one in five adults with a mental health condition have access to psychological therapy.
At ieso, our long-term goal is to develop a medical device that uses an automated conversational agent to deliver therapy content that mimics, as closely as possible, the interaction a patient has with a human therapist. While we are currently a long way from achieving this goal, we have taken steps in this direction by focusing on a wellness device that seeks to provide general health information in a conversational format.
This study uses our current research tool to provide a formative assessment of the user experience and conversation to assess the design, usability, and acceptability of a set of 10 digital ‘elements’. These elements automate a conversational approach to provide general health and non-medical information about behavioural approaches and cognitive techniques that may help individuals concerned about their low mood or anxiety.
The aim of the study is twofold: (1) initial iteration of the tool’s elements using input from healthy participants); and (2) refinement of the tool’s elements with patient input (i.e. individuals currently receiving text-based therapy for a mental health condition). We will test subsets of digital elements on participants and will gather both qualitative and quantitative feedback to inform the design and development of future versions of our digital wellness tool.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/0918
Date of REC Opinion
24 Aug 2022
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion