Technology Implementation for Mental Health End Users: A Model to Guide Digital Transformation for Inpatient Mental Health Professionals

Authors

Jessa Lin Westheimer
Nidal Moukaddam
Jan A Lindsay
Ashutosh Sabharwal
Bijan Najafi
Peter A Iacobelli
Robert J Boland
Michelle A Patriquin

Publication Date

4-6-2023

Journal

JMIR Mental Health

DOI

10.2196/40429

PMID

37023415

PMCID

PMC10131709

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

4-6-2023

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

digital transformation, user-centered design, innovation, implementation science, user acceptability, wearables, mental health, implementation, technology implementation

Abstract

Digital transformation is the adoption of digital technologies by an entity in an effort to increase operational efficiency. In mental health care, digital transformation entails technology implementation to improve the quality of care and mental health outcomes. Most psychiatric hospitals rely heavily on "high-touch" interventions or those that require in-person, face-to-face interaction with the patient. Those that are exploring digital mental health care interventions, particularly for outpatient care, often copiously commit to the "high-tech" model, losing the crucial human element. The process of digital transformation, especially within acute psychiatric treatment settings, is in its infancy. Existing implementation models outline the development of patient-facing treatment interventions within the primary care system; however, to our knowledge, there is no proposed or established model for implementing a new provider-facing ministration tool within an acute inpatient psychiatric setting. Solving the complex challenges within mental health care demands that new mental health technology is developed in concert with a use protocol by and for the inpatient mental health professional (IMHP; the end user), allowing the "high-touch" to inform the "high-tech" and vice versa. Therefore, in this viewpoint article, we propose the Technology Implementation for Mental-Health End-Users framework, which outlines the process for developing a prototype of an IMHP-facing digital intervention tool in parallel with a protocol for the IMHP end user to deliver the intervention. By balancing the design of the digital mental health care intervention tool with IMHP end user resource development, we can significantly improve mental health outcomes and pioneer digital transformation nationwide.