Delivery of digital cognitive behavioural therapy following concussion
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Delivery of digital cognitive behavioural therapy following concussion: HeadOn Feasibility Study
IRAS ID
279358
Contact name
Aimun Jamjoom
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 24 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
Concussion is an alteration in brain function due to a mechanical force to the head. It is very common and can occur in a wide range of circumstances from sports and military related injuries, assault, road-traffic accidents and falls. Patients can go on to suffer with a number of symptoms which impacts their quality of life. Patient provision with information about their concussion and subsequent follow-up is highly variable. There is evidence that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) - a talking therapy that is typically delivered by a therapist can help patients understand and then manage their symptoms. However, CBT is not routinely offered to patients with concussion because of a number of reasons including limited number of therapists, social stigma of talking therapies and limited patient time to attend face-to-face therapy. To address these issues, we have developed HeadOn - a web application that delivers a CBT programme to patients following concussion. In this study, we would like to examine the feasibility of digitally delivering a course of CBT to patients following concussion to better understand patient attitudes towards it and engagement levels.
Summary of Results
In the study we aimed to understand if cognitive behavioural therapy (a talking therapy usually delivered by a therapist) can be delivered digitally to individuals who have had a head injury (concussion). A total of 50 participants were given access to HeadOn following a concussion. We found that people initially engaged strongly with HeadOn but this engagement reduced over time. A quarter of the participants were super-users who actively used HeadOn throughout the 5-week progamme. We analysed the symptom diary data and found that symptom severity declined slowly over the course of HeadOn. The symptoms that were most bothersome for the participants were fatigue, sleep disturbance and difficulty concentrating. Overall feedback on HeadOn was positive, with participants finding it useful and easy to use. A subgroup of participants (15 individuals) completed an in-depth interview about HeadOn. These interviews were analysed and areas for improvement were identified and then fed back into the development of HeadOn. HeadOn has now been launched as a free service which you can access at www.headon-health.com.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/NW/0211
Date of REC Opinion
14 Sep 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion