Psychiatric Patients Tracking Through a Private Social Network for Relatives: Development and Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry and Health Informatics
• Digital Health and Social Networking
• Mental Health Care and Rehabilitation

Background:

• Psychiatric patient care extends beyond institutionalization, focusing on rehabilitation and social integration.
• Online health information seeking is prevalent, leading to virtual communities but lacking private spaces for family updates.
• Relatives of psychiatric patients often lack timely information on daily activities and treatment progress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a private social network (SocialNet) for severe mental patients, primarily those with schizophrenia.
• To create a secure platform for authorized individuals to monitor patients' daily activities and progress.
• To enhance communication and support networks for patients undergoing psychiatric treatment.

Main Methods:

• Development of SocialNet, a private social network tailored for psychiatric patients.
• Implementation of restricted access features, allowing only patient-authorized persons and caregivers to view updates.
• Inclusion of private areas for sharing progress through pictures, videos, and texts.
• Conducting a preliminary usability study to refine the system's functionality.

Main Results:

• SocialNet offers a unique, restricted social interaction environment for patients and their support network.
• The platform enables sharing of patient progress (pictures, videos, texts) within a private, authorized circle.
• A preliminary usability study indicated potential for increased usefulness and user satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• SocialNet is a pioneering system designed to foster interaction among caregivers, family, friends, and psychiatric patients, aiding recovery.
• The network's potential to improve the prognosis and recovery of schizophrenia patients warrants further investigation.
• This technology addresses the information gap for relatives, supporting the holistic treatment of psychiatric conditions.