Usability, Acceptability, and Adherence to an Electronic Self-Monitoring System in Patients With Major Depression...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Digital Health
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Patients with depression face high relapse risks post-discharge.
• Electronic self-monitoring systems offer daily support but have limited research on usability, acceptability, and adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the usability, acceptability, adherence, and clinical outcomes of the Daybuilder system in depression patients from discharge to outpatient treatment.
• To assess patient satisfaction and clinical improvements using validated scales.

Main Methods:

• A four-week study involving 45 unipolar major depression patients referred to an intensive outpatient unit.
• Daily self-monitoring of mood, sleep, activity, and medication adherence via the Daybuilder system.
• Assessment of usability (System Usability Scale), acceptability, adherence, and clinical outcomes (HAM-D17, MDI, WHO-5).

Main Results:

• 76% of patients completed the study; high adherence rates for mood (93.8%), sleep (89.8%), activity (85.6%), and medication (88.0%) were observed.
• The Daybuilder system achieved high usability (SUS score 86.2) and patient satisfaction (79% met expectations).
• Significant improvements were noted in depression severity (HAM-D17, MDI) and quality of life (WHO-5); however, self-assessed mood did not significantly improve, and sleep onset was delayed.

Conclusions:

• The Daybuilder system demonstrates good technical performance, high patient satisfaction, and strong adherence for depression self-monitoring.
• The study highlights the need for continued clinical support, particularly for sleep guidance, due to patient dropout rates and sleep disturbances.