Active Assistance for Psychological Therapy 2.0 (Actissist 2.0)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Active Assistance for Psychological Therapy 2.0 (Actissist 2.0): Digital Intervention for Co- producing care in psychosis.
IRAS ID
234090
Contact name
Sandra Bucci
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Onset of psychosis typically occurs in early adulthood. Up to 80% relapse within 5-years, resulting in unscheduled acute care and adverse effects on psychosocial development. The main treatment for psychosis is medication and psychosocial interventions. Currently, the delivery of psychosocial interventions for psychosis by scheduled appointment can result in psychosis relapse indicators either being missed or treated too late. The NHS has a clear digital agenda for addressing mental health challenges, aiming to fully harness the information technology revolution. Smartphones offer an unprecedented opportunity to drive improvements in treatment quality, efficiency, cost, access and facilitate self-management. Supported by MRC DPFS funding (MR/L005301/1), we have developed a user-informed, personalised, smartphone app, Actissist, that delivers a theory-driven psychological intervention over 12 weeks that is unconstrained by traditional service settings. We have shown that patients complete the intervention swiftly in the course of daily life over 12-weeks and that this technology is feasible, safe and acceptable.
The primary aim of the current proposal, Actissist 2.0, is to refine the software and conduct an efficacy study in an psychosis group. The randomized controlled trial will be carried out over 36 months and involves an initial period of app refinement, followed by an evaluation of the efficacy and usability of the app in a randomized controlled trial.
Lay summary of study results: The Actissist 2.0 study is a two arm trial where participants were randomised to receive either the Actissist app (87 participants) or the ClinTouch app (85 participants). The primary outcome for the trial was psychotic symptoms measured at 12 Weeks. 172 participants with psychosis took part in the study, the majority of whom were single, male, White British, living with parents, and receiving disability allowance. On average, all participants improved over time, but using the Actissist app did not result in added benefit over and above using the symptom monitoring app. There was no difference between groups across all measures used in the study. There were no serious adverse reactions as a result of using either app.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 4
REC reference
17/WS/0221
Date of REC Opinion
10 Nov 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion