Critical design decisions and user demographics in enhancing real-time digital mental health interventions: A systematic review

Background Real-time digital mental health interventions, primarily enabled by smartphone technology offer continuous, personalised support, that adapts in response to the changing needs of individuals. Despite being prominently explored in populations with psychiatric disorders, there remains a not...

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Main Authors: John Fouyaxis, Niranjan Bidargaddi, Wei Du, Jeffrey C.L. Looi, Jessica Lipschitz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2024-12-01
Series:Digital Health
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076241306782
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author John Fouyaxis
Niranjan Bidargaddi
Wei Du
Jeffrey C.L. Looi
Jessica Lipschitz
author_facet John Fouyaxis
Niranjan Bidargaddi
Wei Du
Jeffrey C.L. Looi
Jessica Lipschitz
author_sort John Fouyaxis
collection DOAJ
description Background Real-time digital mental health interventions, primarily enabled by smartphone technology offer continuous, personalised support, that adapts in response to the changing needs of individuals. Despite being prominently explored in populations with psychiatric disorders, there remains a notable gap in the systematic analysis of demographic characteristics, as well as the foundational design decisions or rules that underpin the personalisation of these interventions. Objectives (a) Identifying the prevalent design decisions to enable personalisation within real-time digital mental health interventions, (b) the influence of these design decisions on the clinical outcomes of the interventions, and (c) the demographic characteristics of populations with psychiatric disorders targeted by real-time digital health interventions. Methods Following PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines, a systematic literature review was conducted of peer-reviewed literature focusing on real-time digital interventions in populations with clinically diagnosed psychiatric disorders. We undertook a narrative synthesis to derive the demographics and personalisation design decisions of the interventions and conducted a pooled meta-analysis to evaluate clinical outcomes. Results Interventions predominantly targeted female and Caucasian demographics, yielding modest clinical improvements. Our analysis identified nine critical personalisation design decisions concerning measurement, intervention, and interactions with health professional with varying influence on clinical outcomes. Conclusion Understanding the complex nuances of design decisions that shape real-time digital health interventions, as well as identifying which patient demographics benefit most, is fundamental for their effective clinical impact and safe use. Prospero Registration PROSPERO CRD42020161663.
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spelling doaj-art-973207060f004fbcbf2fdc3d65845f5c2025-08-20T01:56:25ZengSAGE PublishingDigital Health2055-20762024-12-011010.1177/20552076241306782Critical design decisions and user demographics in enhancing real-time digital mental health interventions: A systematic reviewJohn Fouyaxis0Niranjan Bidargaddi1Wei Du2Jeffrey C.L. Looi3Jessica Lipschitz4 Digital Health Research Lab, , , Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Digital Health Research Lab, , , Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Digital Health Research Lab, , , Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, The Australian National University School of Medicine and Psychology, Garran, ACT, Australia Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USABackground Real-time digital mental health interventions, primarily enabled by smartphone technology offer continuous, personalised support, that adapts in response to the changing needs of individuals. Despite being prominently explored in populations with psychiatric disorders, there remains a notable gap in the systematic analysis of demographic characteristics, as well as the foundational design decisions or rules that underpin the personalisation of these interventions. Objectives (a) Identifying the prevalent design decisions to enable personalisation within real-time digital mental health interventions, (b) the influence of these design decisions on the clinical outcomes of the interventions, and (c) the demographic characteristics of populations with psychiatric disorders targeted by real-time digital health interventions. Methods Following PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines, a systematic literature review was conducted of peer-reviewed literature focusing on real-time digital interventions in populations with clinically diagnosed psychiatric disorders. We undertook a narrative synthesis to derive the demographics and personalisation design decisions of the interventions and conducted a pooled meta-analysis to evaluate clinical outcomes. Results Interventions predominantly targeted female and Caucasian demographics, yielding modest clinical improvements. Our analysis identified nine critical personalisation design decisions concerning measurement, intervention, and interactions with health professional with varying influence on clinical outcomes. Conclusion Understanding the complex nuances of design decisions that shape real-time digital health interventions, as well as identifying which patient demographics benefit most, is fundamental for their effective clinical impact and safe use. Prospero Registration PROSPERO CRD42020161663.https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076241306782
spellingShingle John Fouyaxis
Niranjan Bidargaddi
Wei Du
Jeffrey C.L. Looi
Jessica Lipschitz
Critical design decisions and user demographics in enhancing real-time digital mental health interventions: A systematic review
Digital Health
title Critical design decisions and user demographics in enhancing real-time digital mental health interventions: A systematic review
title_full Critical design decisions and user demographics in enhancing real-time digital mental health interventions: A systematic review
title_fullStr Critical design decisions and user demographics in enhancing real-time digital mental health interventions: A systematic review
title_full_unstemmed Critical design decisions and user demographics in enhancing real-time digital mental health interventions: A systematic review
title_short Critical design decisions and user demographics in enhancing real-time digital mental health interventions: A systematic review
title_sort critical design decisions and user demographics in enhancing real time digital mental health interventions a systematic review
url https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076241306782
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