TY - JOUR
T1 - Leveraging Implementation Science to Understand Factors Influencing Sustained Use of Mental Health Apps
T2 - a Narrative Review
AU - Connolly, Samantha L.
AU - Hogan, Timothy P.
AU - Shimada, Stephanie L.
AU - Miller, Christopher J.
N1 - Funding Information:
The past decade has witnessed an explosion of mental health (MH) smartphone applications (apps). More than 10,000 MH apps are available for download, offering features such as symptom and behavior tracking, diagnostic screening, psychoeducation, and relaxation and mindfulness exercises (Torous and Roberts ; Torous et al. ). The number of app studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has nearly doubled from 60 in 2014 to 112 in 2018 (Hansen and Scheier ), and MH app companies received over $400 million in venture capital investment in 2019 (Day ).
Funding Information:
The research reported/outlined here was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, VISN 1 Career Development Award to Samantha Connolly. Content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. Government.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, This is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply.
PY - 2021/6
Y1 - 2021/6
N2 - Mental health (MH) smartphone applications (apps), which can aid in self-management of conditions such as depression and anxiety, have demonstrated dramatic growth over the past decade. However, their effectiveness and potential for sustained use remain uncertain. This narrative review leverages implementation science theory to explore factors influencing MH app uptake. The review is guided by the integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) framework and discusses the role of the innovation, its recipients, context, and facilitation in influencing successful implementation of MH apps. The review highlights critical literature published between 2015 and 2020 with a focus on depression and anxiety apps. Sources were identified via PubMed, Google Scholar, and Twitter using a range of keywords pertaining to MH apps. Findings suggest that for apps to be successful, they must be advantageous over alternative tools, relatively easy to navigate, and aligned with users’ needs, skills, and resources. Significantly more attention must be paid to the complex contexts in which MH app implementation is occurring in order to refine facilitation strategies. The evidence base is still uncertain regarding the effectiveness and usability of MH apps, and much can be learned from the apps we use daily; namely, simpler is better and plans to integrate full behavioral treatments into smartphone form may be misguided. Non-traditional funding mechanisms that are nimble, responsive, and encouraging of industry partnerships will be necessary to move the course of MH app development in the right direction.
AB - Mental health (MH) smartphone applications (apps), which can aid in self-management of conditions such as depression and anxiety, have demonstrated dramatic growth over the past decade. However, their effectiveness and potential for sustained use remain uncertain. This narrative review leverages implementation science theory to explore factors influencing MH app uptake. The review is guided by the integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) framework and discusses the role of the innovation, its recipients, context, and facilitation in influencing successful implementation of MH apps. The review highlights critical literature published between 2015 and 2020 with a focus on depression and anxiety apps. Sources were identified via PubMed, Google Scholar, and Twitter using a range of keywords pertaining to MH apps. Findings suggest that for apps to be successful, they must be advantageous over alternative tools, relatively easy to navigate, and aligned with users’ needs, skills, and resources. Significantly more attention must be paid to the complex contexts in which MH app implementation is occurring in order to refine facilitation strategies. The evidence base is still uncertain regarding the effectiveness and usability of MH apps, and much can be learned from the apps we use daily; namely, simpler is better and plans to integrate full behavioral treatments into smartphone form may be misguided. Non-traditional funding mechanisms that are nimble, responsive, and encouraging of industry partnerships will be necessary to move the course of MH app development in the right direction.
KW - App
KW - Implementation science
KW - Mental health
KW - Smartphone
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85139800466&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85139800466&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s41347-020-00165-4
DO - 10.1007/s41347-020-00165-4
M3 - Review article
C2 - 32923580
AN - SCOPUS:85139800466
SN - 2366-5963
VL - 6
SP - 184
EP - 196
JO - Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science
JF - Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science
IS - 2
ER -