Individually tailored internet treatment in routine care: A feasibility study

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Digital Health
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Background:

• Disorder-specific internet treatment based on cognitive-behavioral therapy has been standard in Swedish psychiatric care since 2007.
• Individually tailored internet treatments have shown promising results in trials, allowing for multiple conditions to be addressed simultaneously.
• Integrating tailored treatments into clinics designed for specific disorders presents challenges in patient selection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the feasibility of a new routine for assessing and initiating either disorder-specific or individually tailored internet treatment.
• To explore the match between patient comorbidities, treatment preferences, and available options.
• To evaluate the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of individually tailored treatment.

Main Methods:

• A feasibility study was conducted over three weeks with 66 patients self-referring to the Internet Psychiatry Clinic.
• The study assessed patient comorbidities, treatment preferences, and allocation to disorder-specific or tailored treatments.
• Feasibility of tailored treatment was further explored in a subgroup of eight patients, examining satisfaction, credibility, activity, adherence, and symptom reduction.

Main Results:

• 65% of patients had at least two comorbid problem areas; 25% of these still initiated disorder-specific treatment.
• The proposed assessment routine was satisfactory within the existing clinic.
• Individually tailored treatment showed promise in satisfaction, credibility, adherence, and preliminary symptom reduction, though the platform lacked assessment and monitoring support.

Conclusions:

• Combining individually tailored and disorder-specific internet treatments within the same clinic appears feasible.
• The addition of tailored treatment options may enhance patient inclusion in mental health services.