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BackgroundDepression and other mental health disorders are prevalent among people living with chronic health conditions. Although digital cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered an effective treatment, African American individuals are less likely to engage in and adhere to digital therapies for mental health disorders compared with White individuals. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to understand digital CBT mental health treatment perceptions and preferences of African American individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). MethodsAfrican American individuals with SCD from various US locations were invited to participate in a series of focus groups. Participants were introduced to a health coach–supported mental health app and then asked a series of questions about the usability and appeal of the program as well as, more generally, what would make a digital mental health program effective for them. The authors reviewed the focus group transcripts and conducted a qualitative analysis of the results. ResultsA total of 25 people participated in 5 focus groups. Overall, 5 primary themes emerged regarding how app content and related coaching could be modified to enhance digital CBT engagement. These themes included connection with others living with SCD, the personalization of app content and coaching, characteristics of coaches, journaling and pain tracking, and considerations for optimal engagement. ConclusionsEnhancing the user experience by making digital CBT tools relevant to patient populations is critical for optimizing program engagement and its uptake. Our findings highlight potential strategies to modify and design digital CBT tools for users with SCD and may also be applicable to patients with other chronic conditions. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04587661; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04587661

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital tools to support individuals struggling with their mental health. The use of a digital intervention plus human coaching (“dual” intervention) is gaining momentum in increasing overall engagement in digital cognitive behavioral interventions (dCBIs). However, there is limited insight into the methodologies and coaching models used by those deploying dual interventions. To achieve a deeper understanding, we need to identify and promote effective engagement that leads to clinical outcomes versus simply monitoring engagement metrics. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, goal-oriented communication approach that pays particular attention to the language of change and is an effective engagement approach to help people manage mental health issues. However, this approach has been traditionally used for in-person or telephonic interventions, and less is known about the application of MI to digital interventions. ObjectiveWe sought to provide a dual intervention approach and address multiple factors across two levels of engagement to operationalize a dCBI that combined cognitive behavioral therapy–based techniques and MI-based interactions between the digital health coach (DHC) and user. MethodsWe reviewed hundreds of digital exchanges between DHCs and users to identify and improve training and quality assurance activities for digital interventions. ResultsWe tested five hypotheses and found that: (1) users of a dual digital behavioral health intervention had greater engagement levels than users of a noncoached intervention (P

BackgroundDespite the growing evidence indicating the efficacy of digital cognitive behavioral interventions (dCBIs) for behavioral health (BH) treatment, broad and consistent use of such interventions has been limited by knowledge obtained in real-world settings, including factors that impact provider uptake/referral. Engaging providers early in the implementation process offers an opportunity to explore their needs and behaviors, integrate interventions into workflows, and better understand provider setting capabilities. ObjectiveThis study assessed providers’ views on the feasibility and acceptability of delivering a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based mobile app in multiple care settings. MethodsParticipating providers included BH and physical health (PH) providers from a women’s health center, an outpatient BH clinic, and both rural/urban primary care settings. All participating providers cocreated workflows through facilitated workshops, including establishing feedback loops between the project team and providers and identifying clinical champions at each site. Over a 12-week period, the providers referred adult patients experiencing anxiety or depression to a mobile app-based dCBI, RxWell, and provided other indicated treatments as part of usual care. Referrals were completed by the providers through the electronic medical record. To better understand facilitators of and challenges in integrating RxWell into routine practice and perceptions of sustainability, a series of qualitative interviews was conducted. Interview data were analyzed to identify major themes using an inductive content analysis approach. ResultsA total of 19 provider interviews were conducted to discover motivators and barriers for referring RxWell. The providers benefited from a focused discussion on how to incorporate the referral process into their workflow, and knowing the app content was rooted in evidence. Although the providers believed engaging in experiential learning was important, they indicated that more education on the digital health coach role and how to monitor patient progress is needed. The providers thought patient engagement may be impacted by motivation, a lack of comfort using a smartphone, or preference for in-person therapy. The providers also expressed enthusiasm in continuing to refer the app. They liked the ability to provide patients with support between sessions, to have an extra treatment option that teaches BH exercises, and to have a CBT treatment option that overcomes barriers (eg, wait times, copays, travel) to traditional therapy modalities. ConclusionsDigital intervention success in health care settings relies heavily on engagement of key stakeholders, such as providers, in both design and implementation of the intervention and focused evaluation within intended care setting(s). Scaling digital interventions to meet the mental health needs of patients in usual care settings leans on thoughtfully constructed and streamlined workflows to enable seamless referral of patients by providers. Our findings strongly suggest that providers are supportive of digital tool integration to support the mental health of patients and endorse its use within their routine workflow.

Recent literature supports the efficacy and efficiency of telemedicine in improving various health outcomes despite the wide variability in results. Understanding site-specific issues in the implementation of telemedicine trials for broader replication and generalizability of results is needed. Lessons can be learned from existing trials, and a blueprint can guide researchers to conduct these challenging studies using telemedicine more efficiently and effectively. This viewpoint presents relevant challenges and solutions for conducting multisite telemedicine trials using 7 ongoing and completed studies funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute portfolio of large multisite trials to highlight the challenges in implementing telemedicine trials. Critical issues of ensuring leadership and buy-in, appropriate funding, and diverse and representative trials are identified and described, as well as challenges related to clinical, informatics, regulatory, legal, quality, and billing. The lessons learned from these studies were used to create a blueprint of key aspects to consider for the design and implementation of multisite telemedicine trials.