User-Centered Design of a Digitally Enabled Care Pathway in a Large Health System: Qualitative Interview Study.

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Mental Health Technology
• User-Centered Design

Background:

• Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a significant global health challenge.
• Effective MDD management requires enhanced patient engagement, measurement-based care (MBC), and shared decision-making (SDM).
• User-centered design is crucial for developing digital health innovations for MDD patients and primary care teams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply qualitative research and user-centered design methods for developing the PathwayPlatform.
• To enhance patient engagement, MBC, and SDM in MDD care through a digital platform.

Main Methods:

• Two stages of qualitative interviews with patients and healthcare providers.
• Thematic analysis, supported by Dedoose software, for data analysis.
• Iterative development based on user feedback.

Main Results:

• Patients and providers found digital remote tracking of outcomes clinically useful, promoting MBC and SDM.
• Identified needs for improved real-time data flow, trend visualization, and workflow integration.
• User feedback informed iterative development of the Pathway app's features.

Conclusions:

• User-centric development of the Pathway Platform involved ongoing patient and care team communication.
• Key insights led to enhanced features for visit preparation, goal setting, outcome summaries, and visualizations.
• The resulting digital platform aims to improve MDD treatment outcomes and patient support.