Evaluation of a Digital Pre-therapy Patient Education Program (StartHjelp) in Outpatient Mental Health Care

Summary

Community mental health centers (CMHCs) face significant challenges in meeting the needs of individuals with mental health issues. For example, due to high demand, there are long waiting lists and low engagement rates. Innovative interventions are urgently needed to address these challenges to improve patient engagement, coping skills, and overall health outcomes. Educational and self-management interventions have shown promise in enhancing patient activation and treatment satisfaction in other contexts. They may therefore be potential solutions to reduce the identified challenges in the mental health service. To bridge these knowledge and practice gaps, this study aims to evaluate a digital pre-therapy patient education program tailored specifically for adults with mental disorders. This intervention aims to enhance treatment satisfaction, patient activation, knowledge, patient engagement, and overall mental health outcomes.

Conditions

• Mental Health Issue
• Mental Disorder
• Patient Education

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Digital pre-therapy patient education program (StartHjelp)

After randomization the intervention group receives access to a pre-therapy informational app, presenting information about the treatment process, options, patient rights, user organizations, and self-help while on waiting list before mental health outpatient treatment. The information is presented stepwise through video and text, while also providing links to additional information if needed. The videos are made available to the patients gradually, with more general information about the treatment process first, and more specific information as the first session approaches. The patient has the opportunity to rewatch the videos as they please.

BEHAVIORAL

Comparator intervention

After randomization, while on waiting list, the control group gets sent all the same information as the intervention group in written form, by mail.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Norwegian University of Science and Technology

  collaborator OTHER

• St. Olavs Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Mariela L. Lara-Cabrera · St.Olavs Hospital and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

• Rolf W. Gråwe, PhD, Prof. · St.Olavs Hospital and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-12-15

Primary Completion

2026-12-31

Completion

2030-12-31

Countries

• Norway

Study Locations