Changing practice: assessing attitudes toward a NICE-informed collaborative treatment pathway for bipolar disorder

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Technology
• Digital Health Interventions
• Bipolar Disorder Management

Background:

• Bipolar disorder often leads to functional impairment despite medication.
• Psychological therapies and structured care are effective but underutilized.
• Digital e-pathways have not been applied to bipolar disorder treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the perceived benefits and costs of implementing a collaborative, NICE-informed e-pathway for bipolar disorder.
• To gather feedback from stakeholders on the potential of digital health solutions in bipolar disorder care.

Main Methods:

• A workshop engaged healthcare professionals and individuals with bipolar disorder.
• Qualitative framework analysis was used to analyze data from questionnaires (n=26) and focus groups.

Main Results:

• Stakeholders welcomed the development of an e-pathway for bipolar disorder.
• Key framework elements included care quality, patient-clinician collaboration, flexibility, staff impact, and service impact.

Conclusions:

• Identifying benefits and costs is crucial for successful e-pathway implementation in bipolar disorder.
• Recommendations include simplifying patient use, providing adequate training, and validating clinician skills.
• Addressing stakeholder concerns is essential for future digital health tool development.