A Collaborative Study to Assess Digitally Enabled Engagement in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Within a Large Health System

Objective: Assessment of a digitally enabled care Pathway mobile app designed to improve patient-provider engagement in patients with MDD. A patient interface was used to assess treatment progress and share it with healthcare providers (HCPs).

Methods: Forty patients were randomized to either use of a mobile app with usual care (n=20) or usual care alone (n=20) in this 18-week, real-world effectiveness and feasibility trial conducted in primary care clinics. Patients in the app arm engaged with the app daily; a report was generated at 6-week intervals and shared with HCPs to facilitate shared treatment decision-making discussions. Co-primary outcome measures included change from baseline in PAM-13 and PPES-7 at week 18. Additional outcome measures included depression severity (PHQ-9), cognitive symptoms (PDQ-D5), medication switches and adherence, quality of life (WHO-5), and patient and provider satisfaction with engagement and use of the app (week 18).

Results: The majority of patients randomized were female, mean age ~36 years, with moderate-moderately severe depression. Improvements in PAM-13 and PHQ-9 scores were observed in both treatment arms, with numerically greater (though not statistically significant) improvements noted in the app arm vs usual care arm. Improvements in PPES-7, PDQ-D5, and WHO-5 scores were observed in both arms.

Conclusions: Patients with MDD will engage with a mobile app designed to track treatment and disease progression, and HCPs will use data generated as part of their assessment to track and modify care. Study results suggest an app-enabled clinical care pathway may enhance patient activation and be beneficial for MDD management.

This poster was presented at the 32nd annual Psych Congress, held Oct. 3-6, 2019, in San Diego, California.