Introduction

New technologies are gaining more and more place in the field of health mental and could become interesting therapeutics supports. Recently, many applications based on CBT principles have developed.

Objectives

My objectives were to create an application based on CBT principles by reproducing in digital version therapeutic exercises already used in CBT. In order to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness, the main hypothesis suggested that digitized exercises would have more impact on participants with mild anxiety-depressive symptoms.

Methods

Inclusion criteria were:

Subjects had anxiety or/and depressive symptoms and had to make at least one exercise among the three modules

Emotion module: the three good things of Seligman

Cognition module: the 5 columns of Beck

Activities module: related to behavioral activation

The 31 participants were recruited via social networks.

Participants completed the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 questionnaires by the application EnergiePositive to create three experimental groups:

G1 mild to moderate depression without anxiety symptoms

G2 mild to moderate depression with anxiety symptoms

G3 moderate to very severe depression with anxiety disorders

Results

The statistical comparison of the three experimental groups showed that the exercises from CBT in digital format had a greater impact on mild to moderate anxiety-depressive symptoms.
My study showed similar results to other studies that evaluated the effectiveness of CBT applications on anxiety-depression disorders (Boettcher et al., Stolz et al. 2018 ; Kinderman et al. 2016 ; Mohr et al. 2017).

Conclusions

The main hypothesis has been validated. However, it would be important to improve the external validity of EnergiePositive by conducting several randomized controlled trials.

Introduction

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is the most prevalent anxiety disorder and is considered to have the largest disease burden amongst anxiety disorders. Although SAD in most cases can be treated successfully with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, only between 33% and 50% seek treatment and many patients drop out of treatment as they are confronted with elements of exposure. Can virtual reality exposure therapy with applied biofeedback provide an accessible, feasible and effective addition in the treatment of SAD?

Objectives

The current study is part of a large scale study that aims to develop and evaluate the feasibility and effect of a VR-biofeedback-intervention for adults with mild to severe social anxiety disorder.

Methods

Initially, a systematic review of existing available data on the application of virtual reality exposure therapy with biofeedback will be performed.

The current study will collect data from semi-structured interviews and surveys. Participants include a minimum of (n=10) patients and (n=5) clinicians from the Mental Health Services in the Region of Southern Denmark. Surveys include questionnaires used for assessment of anxiety symptoms, usability of technology, and presence within the virtual environment. The findings will be analyzed and discussed in a mixed methods design.

Results

Successful development and implementation of an automated virtual reality exposure therapy intervention may provide increased reach for patients and individuals who would have otherwise not sought- or dropped out of regular treatment.

Conclusions

The proposed treatment may provide early intervention and prevent further escalation of SAD. Furthermore, the intervention may reduce time and resources spent by personnel in treating SAD.

Introduction

Studies have associated students from Medicine and other healthcare degrees with high levels of stress and depression. This puts at risk both their mental health and the quality of physician-patient relationship. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program has been shown to improve psychological wellbeing and to reduce rumination; however, it seems unclear if digital programs have the same effect.

Objectives

To compare the effectiveness of a mindfulness smartphone app versus an adapted version of the MBSR program among healthcare students.

Methods

A parallel-group, single-blind, randomised (1:1:1), controlled trial was designed. 140 students of Medicine, Nursing, Psychology and Nutrition were allocated to either the app program, the in-person program, or a waitlist. The assessment of depressive symptoms was included though the Beck Depression Inventory at baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks).

Results

86 participants completed BDI at both times and an intention-to-treat analysis was performed. Depressive levels changed from 7.21 (SD 6.08) to 4.07 (SD 4.44) in the app group, and from 7.11 (SD 6.62) to 5.26 (SD 5.21) in the in-person group. ANOVA test did not find a significant difference for depression among the three arms.

Conclusions

Only a tendency to significance was found for both the app and the in-person program for the reduction of depressive symptoms. Most participants presented minimum levels of depression at baseline, so a floor effect might be considered as an explanation. Future studies are needed to determine the effect of mindfulness-based programs on the depression levels of healthcare students.

Introduction

The goal of active aging is to promote changes in the elderly community so as to maintain an active, independent and socially-engaged lifestyle. Technological advancements currently provide the necessary tools to foster and monitor such processes.

Objectives

This poster reports on mid-term achievements of the European H2020 EMPATHIC project (Empathic, Expressive, Advanced Virtual Coach to Improve Independent Healthy-Life-Years of the Elderly), which aims to research, innovate, explore and validate new interaction paradigms and platforms for future generations of personalized virtual coaches to assist the elderly to reach the active aging goal, in the vicinity of their home.

Methods

The team project has develop a new virtual coach that uses different intelligent technologies, and context sensing methods through automatic voice, eye and facial analysis, integrated with visual and spoken dialogue system capabilities. The virtual coach interact with the participants in a natural way through a normal conversation. It can speak about four different themes related with the nutrition, exercise, relationships and pleasant activities.

Results

We describe the current status of the project, with a special emphasis on its components and findings gained from 164 healthy seniors (older than 65 years) from three different countries (Spain, France and Norway) that have interacted with the virtual coach throughout the first 18 months of the project.

Conclusions

The implementation of this technology can be an innovative response to the challenge posed by population aging and can be adapted to a different kinds of issues related with the mental health of elderly population.

Introduction

The use of smartphones/tablets is widespread in all strata of the population but the effects in the quality of life (HRQoL) and levels of depression in older adults with cognitive impairment have not been studied.

Objectives

Analyze the influence of the use of smartphones and tablets and the attitude towards new technologies in the HRQoL and depression in people with mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment (PwD/MCI).

Methods

Preliminary data from the SMART4MD randomized multicenter clinical trial (NCT03325699) were used. A longitudinal design from baseline and 12-month follow-up (12M) visit were used. Data came from 1 of the 3 participant centers: The Servicio Andaluz de Salud (Andalusia, Spain). Multivariate linear regression models with the change in QoL-AD and GDS-15 as dependent variable were used.

Results

224 participants of 386 included in the trial that completed 12M were analyze. A 56.7% of participants were female, the mean age was 72.98 (SD=7.47), a 50.0% of the participants have received a diagnosis of dementia, with a mean score in the MMSE of 25.61 (SD=2.19). The frequent use of smartphones/tablets was associated with and improve of HRQoL at one year (B=2.231; p=0.003) but not with change in depression level (B=-0.099; p=0.829). A positive attitude to new technologies was not associated with change in HRQoL (B=-0.101; p=0.836) or depression (B=0.419; p=0.122).

Conclusions

Use of smartphone/tablets could be beneficial to HRQoL in PwD/MCI but not to prevent depression. More studies are necessary to clarify the association between the variables.

Introduction

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder that may be found in 5%-8% of the child population. ADHD has harmful effects on education, employment, relationships, and quality of life

Objectives

This study has examined the perception of family functioning, burden and well-being and its association with the severity of ADHD symptoms using Ecological Momentary Assessment(EMA) methodology.

Methods

Now, with twenty-first century technologies, we are able to have constant monitoring of relevant information for psychiatric disorders. This allows us to measure some of the heterogeneous nature of symptom profiles and illness trajectories that can provide us with priceless information. In this study we determine the self-perceived quality of life, family functioning and overload of seventy-four parents of children diagnosed with ADHD measured and ranked using five self-assessment scales.

Results

The severity of ADHD symptoms negatively affects the quality of life and functioning, the psychological adjustment and the burden associated with the disorder. The highest scores in the subtype of inattention are correlated with lower results in those domains.

Conclusions

We provide initial evidence that ADHD has a significant impact on the quality of life, burden and daily functioning of the family. This impact also seems to be related to the serious symptoms of ADHD and, significantly, is observed in the lack of attention and in the combined subtype.

Introduction

Sexuality is a biological, social and cultural construction (Barriga, 2013), and is validated in socially accepted ways of relationship. One form of sexual relationship in the virtual space is sexting, which consists of spreading sexual content by the sender himself using technological devices (Fajardo, et al, 2013).

Objectives

To relate sexting and sexual orientation: bisexual, heterosexual and homosexual in university with ages between 18-24 years.

Methods

To relate sexting and sexual orientation: bisexual, heterosexual and homosexual in university with ages between 18-24 years.

Results

Figure 1: Average scores on the different factors of sixting by age and sexual orientation.

Conclusions

There are no differences between the sexual orientation groups:heterosexual (1), homosexual (2) and bisexual (3) in the profiles in DAS, EES and PRS (figure 1). However, in the multiple regression analysis, the results reflect that, controlled the sex-age effect and using as reference group heterosexual orientation, M = 16.6017, this group has a lower level of DAS, M = 16.3453, although the difference is not statistically significant t = -0.518 and P = 0.605. Similarly, when discriminating the components, the differences are not statistically significant at 5%, but at 10% t = 1,732 and P = 0.08.

The study allows to show transformations of relationships in the sexual experience by entering the technology of virtual space in the sexual encounter.

Introduction

Mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) mitigate the high level of anxiety and the decline in empathy that healthcare students experience during graduate years. MBPs also have been shown to increase selfcompassion, which is defined as ‘being open to one’s own suffering, generating the desire to alleviate it with kindness’, and seems to play a critical role in health care. Digital MBPs are promising, but no previous studies have tested whether they are as effective for healthcare students as in-person mindfulness courses.

Objectives

A study comparing the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based smartphone application versus an in-person MBP was designed, including the differential expectations toward the interventions.

Methods

A parallel-group, single-blind, randomised controlled trial was designed. Students of Medicine, Psychology, Nursing and Nutrition were allocated to either the app-based program, the in-person program, or a waitlist. The 0-100% Expectancy of Improvement Scale (Borkovec & Mathews, 1988) was measured at baseline, asking the participants about the expected improvement in self-compassion and empathy.

Results

80 participants answered the scale. The participants expected the app to improve the outcomes a mean of 44.3% (SD 23.5), whilst they expected the in-person program to make them improve a 61.7% (SD 23.8). Both Wilcoxon and t-student tests showed a significant difference (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Students from our sample expected the in-person program to be more effective. In contrast, both programs shown a significant improvement for self-compassion, while only the app proved a significant reduction in anxiety. Empathy levels remained unchanged in the three arms. Further research on attitudes towards eHealth interventions is encouraged.

Introduction

Sport is one of the means of social integration of children with special educational needs. In order to create inclusive conditions for training and competitive activity, psychological and pedagogical support and control of children's mental health is needed, which is to balance between emotional, intellectual and physical components.

Objectives

The purpose is to determine the impact of sports and technical sports on the psychological component of social integration of children with special educational needs.

Methods

Analysis of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical observation.

Results

Technical sports as means of social integration have significant impact on the development of children with special educational needs, regardless of age, gender and other characteristics. Mental health of children depends on the psychological comfort and atmosphere in the team, social adaptation, the absence of disorders of individual mental functions. Specificity of technical sports is the technical development and mastery of modeling, which is important for children since in the process of activity of pupils-athletes and coaches is the formation of communicative behavior. Model detailing contributes to the development of motor skills, which in turn significantly affects the speech function and cognitive-emotional abilities of children. Improving the mental health of children with special educational needs is due to socialization through group work and participation in competitions, which affects the self-affirmation and development of emotional and volitional qualities.

Conclusions

Technical kinds of sport as a means of social integration significantly affect the psycho-emotional health of children through the formation of skills necessary for life and the creation of opportunities for self-affirmation through technical creativity, intellectual development and competitive activity.

Introduction

Introduction: The Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse - Central Nervous System project (RADAR-CNS) is an international project aiming to improve health care for people with depression, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis through collection of information using smartphones and mobile devices. Part of the study focused on understanding, through three focus groups, people’s experiences and impressions of how using wearable devices could help to control and monitor their conditions.

Objectives

Objective: We explored potential differences in lexical style and emotional affect in relation to monitoring and treatment across health conditions with wearable devices.

Methods

Methods: Natural language processing (NPL) algorithms were used to analyze factual and emotional content in transcriptions from moderated focus groups across depression, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.

Results

Results: People with depression used words related to interpersonal relationships and mood. People with epilepsy and multiple sclerosis more frequently used words related to their physical condition and cognitive functions. Classification by polarity showed that all health conditions used words with more positive emotion than negative or neutral. People with depression more frequently used words within the sadness dimension, while people with epilepsy manifested more fear. People mostly talked about their condition and how it impacts on their lives. Mobile devices were described both as a source of concern and a potentially helpful tool.

Conclusions

Conclusions: All health conditions considered the mobile devices to be useful tools as they provide information about their health status and facilitate communication with clinicians. However, they might provoke anxiety, obsessions and interfere with their lives.

Introduction

IT is a relatively new and promising area in psychiatry and can be used to implement screening, diagnostic, treatment and prevention tools in the future if the necessary instruments are developed.

Objectives

Our aim was to check the ability of the short (8-color) version of the Lusher test, introduced in a mobile gaming application, to differentiate patients with affective disorders from healthy individuals and to assess the severity of accompanying symptoms.

Methods

The respondents were 62 healthy individuals and 17 in-patients with a diagnosis of an affective disorder (F32) undergoing treatment. For assessing the severity of depression we used the QIDS-SR16 inventory which has high sensitivity at the lowest grades of depressive symptoms. We also designed the prototype of a mobile gaming application with the short (8-color) version of the Lusher test. We used SPSS for statistical analysis.

Results

QIDS-SR16 scores differed significantly between patients and controls (Mann-Whitney U, p<0,05). It turned out that grey color appeared more frequently at the 5th position (from "most liked" to "less liked" at the moment in the Lusher test) in patients than in controls (χ-square, p<0,05). People from depression group chose it as a significantly more preferable compared to healthy controls. The proportion of black color in the 6th position significantly differed between patients who were at the lowest and 2nd-lowest symptom severity measured by QIDS-SR16 (χ-square, p<0,05).

Conclusions

Results let us propose that the short version of the Lusher test is a possible instrument to distinguish people likely to suffer from depression in the general population.

Introduction

In Denmark, about 150,000 persons suffer from an alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, only about 10% seek AUD treatment, preferably outside conventional health care settings and opening hours. The AUD treatment area is experiencing low treatment compliance, high numbers of no show, and premature dropout.

Objectives

The Blend-A study aims to develop and evaluate a blended intervention in Denmark; guided internet-based and face-to-face AUD treatment. Blend-A consists of two parts: a pilot phase as well as a clinical and cost-effectiveness study. The purpose of this e-Poster Viewing is to describe our lessons learned from the Blend-A study pilot phase.

Methods

The study is conducted in a mixed methods design. The settings were three Danish public municipal outpatient alcohol clinics. Study participants were patients as well as therapists from the three settings. Data consisted of survey data from System Usability Scale (SUS), observations, individual patient interviews, and therapist group interviews. Analyses were conducted by the means of Stata, Excel, and theoretical thematic analysis.

Results

Usability of the Karify platform was rated above average. Patients chose to use Blend-A because of anonymity and the flexible design. Platform use formed basis for face-to-face sessions. Self-determined platform use resulted in a more thorough process. Patient involvement qualified development of a feasible system. Managerial support for time use was essential. Guiding from an experienced peer was useful.

Conclusions

Blend-A may increase access to treatment. The blended design appears usable and may enhance patient perceived satisfaction and effect. Focusing on patient involvement, managerial support, and guidance from experienced peers seems relevant.

Introduction

As demands are increasing on traditional health services and as the online technologies for helping people with their mental health are developing fast, e-mental health is becoming increasingly important. There is a need for studies that address the population's use of e-mental health services.

Objectives

To provide information about a large population-based epidemiological study and how it addresses e-health.

Methods

We briefly introduce the 7th version of the epidemiological Tromsø Study and particularly the e-health questionnaire and discuss its relevance in the field of e-mental health.

Results

The Tromsø Study is a large epidemiological study that has been ongoing in the Norwegian municipality of Tromsø since 1974. It contains information on a range of issues within health and illness, including topics from most medical speciailities, psychiatry and substance use. In the most recent 7th version of the study, more than 21 000 people aged 40 or above participated. The main questionnaire included ca. 300 questions, and for the first time also questions on e-ehealth use. This will give us the possibility to not only examine the importance of e-health in the Norwegian population, but more specifically to examine the relationship between mental health and e-health use.

Conclusions

Epidemiological studies such as the Tromsø Study offer the opportunity to study relationships between a range of variables, including mental health, substance use and now e-health. This will enable us to study e-health use and its relationship to mental health in a large representative sample, and to identify areas in e-mental health that should be further addressed.

Introduction

Offering a number of previously inaccessible opportunities to their users, smartphones have become an essential part of people’s lives. People spend more and more time with their smartphones (Kola, 2019). Behavioral problems and mental disorders do not prevent use of digital technologies (Abu Rahal et al., 2019).

Objectives

The study aims to assess new opportunities and after-effects that use of modern smartphones bears to people’s mental health.

Methods

We analyzed the research papers presented on Pubmed database within the previous five years.

Results

The positive side of using smartphones lies in high accessibility to the opportunities of e-mental health projects. They offer a wide variety of internet-based interventions – remote diagnosis, online counselling, psychotherapy, prevention programs for different psychological problems and mental disorders. Nevertheless, the issues of standardization and quality of the offered medical assistance, its legal status and technological support still need proper regulation. Besides, not all population groups are ready and able to use e-mental health services equally actively and effectively. The negative effects include the emergence of new psychological problems, such as hallucinatory phenomena (phantom vibration and ringing syndromes), nomophobia, smartphone addiction, Internet gaming addiction, social media addiction, online paraphilia, selfitis, hikikomori, cyberbullying etc. Most of them have relation to a higher level of perceived stress, anxiety and depression.

Conclusions

Wide spread of smartphones not only offers their users new opportunities in maintaining their mental health but also bears new risks to them. E-mental health projects need standardization, while ways and duration of using smartphones by children and adolescents need regulation.

Introduction

Losing a close person, because of either death or separation, is a highly stressful event, predictive of psychological and physical health problems; 10-15% of people have significant difficulties coping with these events. Guided internet interventions are effective for treating multiple mental disorders, including complicated grief. According to a systematic review, unguided internet interventions (UII) are also effective, but to a lesser degree and with more dropouts. However, recent research nuances this finding.

Objectives

The present study investigates which potential changes to an internet intervention, which was developed to treat complicated grief in a guided form (LIVIA 1), could boost its efficacy and adherence rate in an unguided format (LIVIA 2).

Methods

LIVIA 1 was implemented in an unguided form (N = 19). We assessed participants’ satisfaction quantitatively and qualitatively. Additionally, we draw upon the literature to identify factors that could boost the efficacy and adherence of UII.

Results

About half of the participants was satisfied with LIVIA 1, and a fifth was unsatisfied. The most cited dissatisfaction reasons were the difficulty of the confrontation and the difficulty to take time for the programme. Some participants regretted the lack of interactions. Literature indicates that focusing on participants’ resources promotes positive affect and, in turn, therapeutic success. Moreover, providing automated messages boosts adherence and efficacy of UII. Finally, providing guidance towards the therapeutic goals while preserving patients’ autonomy is an efficacy predictor.

Conclusions

We suggest several changes to implement in LIVIA 2 to increase its efficacy and adherence rate, and ultimately its diffusionin French-speaking areas.

Introduction

The loss of a significant person is one of the most stressful life events. It predicts negative physical and psychological health outcomes. Even if most people are able to cope with it, around 10% of people struggle to overcome this event, which can lead to psychopathological symptoms. These vulnerable people do not necessarily seek professional help; rates for professional help-seeking among widowed individuals are low (3.7-11.5%).

Objectives

This study aims at testing the feasibility and acceptance of an innovative psychological II for people struggling with interpersonal loss in the French-speaking population, which unfortunately, to date, has no scientifically validated II in their language.

Methods

LIVIA-FR was implemented in the French part of Switzerland (N = 19). We assessed its feasibility and efficacy through a pre-post evaluation protocol where we measured psychopathological symptoms, loneliness, well-being, life satisfaction and physical health.

Results

Encouragingly, LIVIA allowed participants to reduce significantly their grief symptoms. Moreover, grief avoidance, which is a problematic adjustment strategy, was significantly reduced. However, the intervention had no significant effect on the other outcomes.

Conclusions

We will discuss both the positive aspects as well as the weaknesses of LIVIA-FR. They will represent a base on which to develop LIVIA-FR-2, an improved version that addresses the currents gaps and better meets the participants' needs.

Introduction

In the last years the problem of internally displaced persons for Ukraine it has become a new severe challenge. Since October 2017 the project of Psychosocial Care for IDPs and the war affected population in Ukraine has been in place.

Objectives

The aim of the project is to provide professional, accessible, free for the users and fully anonymous psychosocial online care.

Methods

Analysis of protocols of online counseling sessions and supervisions.

Results

Feedback from Counselors suggests that in the experience of the counselors, their relationship with a client at eye level proved to be beneficial to the counseling process. The emphasis of the project on psychosocial support provided by counselors to clients rather than mental health support provided by psychologists to patients helped beneficiaries to overcome fears of stigmatization. They appreciated the design of VBC as a short-term intervention because it focusses on clients regaining their ability to function in daily life. Clients mainly suffered from somatic symptoms of social stress, which included low self-esteem, anxiety and obsessive behavior.

Conclusions

The online format proved beneficial because many IDPs have trust issues and preferred not to deal with social services locally when it comes to mental health problems and it was accessible from rural areas. An important part of the outreach work by the project was to destigmatize mental health problems. It was important for the service to be recommended by word of mouth in addition to outreach activities in the public sphere.

Introduction

The social media allegedly has both positive and negative influences on how U.S. Military veterans learn about medical products.

Objectives

This study evaluates how veterans consume health advertising on social media and how this knowledge influences their medical decisions.

Methods

This is a survey-based research of 212 (M, n=176; F, n=26) U.S. military veterans, combined with follow-up phone-based qualitative input.

Results

Veterans (n=210) predominantly use Facebook (84%), Twitter (22%), Instagram (15%), and discussion forums (42%) to obtain health information. Of all participants, 92% report some exposure to health advertising on social media platforms — sponsored article (62%), curated blog (55%), visual ad (75%), direct messaging (24%), chain messaging on media boards (72%). Overall, these and other quantitative metrics and qualitative analysis show that all participants were exposed to some form of sponsored advertising, 41% used the sponsored content to learn more about a health service or product, and ultimately 26% have made recommendations to their peers based on these advertisements. Only 10% have researcher medical peer-reviewed resources to consult validity of claims made in paid health posts. About 1 in 3 (38%) participants reported that their health decisions, including purchasing of products (i.e. Health insurance) or services (i.e. Botox injections)were informed by information supplied by targeted online health advertising.

Conclusions

Sponsored content advertising health products and services targeting U.S. veterans is rapidly expanding. 1 in 3 veterans uses this scientifically unvetted information to make important health decisions.

Introduction

U.S. Veterans Affairs is world’s largest medical service provider to former military personnel, posing unique challenges to proving health care to millions of patients.

Objectives

This study examines the perceptions and attitudes of 240 (M, n=209, F, n=31) veterans who self-report to have participated in extended medical and psychiatric care through telemedicine services.

Methods

A survey and follow-up qualitative phone conversations serve as a basis for days compilation.

Results

Participants report taking advantage of telemedicine-based extended care in three main domains: psychiatric (42%), family practice (53%), and specialty clinics (26%). The main reasons for taking advantage of telemedicine consultations were to eliminate long commute to clinics (82%), decrease treatment costs (including commuting)(64%), getting personalized attention as needed (23%), treatment adherence (41%), pharmacological consultation (8%). About 31% report having had to pay someone to transport them to medical appointments requiring special accommodations for wheelchair (21%), and telemedicine solutions eliminate these burdensome logistics. Average appointment wait time for telemedicine was less than a week (74%) versus traditional in-hospital appointment of more than 2 weeks (54%) for non-emergency health consultations. In terms of costs, the vast majority admits that they are more likely to choose telemedicine solutions (78%) to in-clinic appointments (61%) primarily because of cost. Among biggest drawbacks of telemedicine solutions, participants cite a sense of isolation from a provider (68%), communication barriers due to technological problems (37%), confusing technology or difficulty establishing a connection (59%), inadequate technical support (55%).

Conclusions

Increasingly more veterans use telemedicine to follow up their care for financial and mobility reasons.

Introduction

Telemedicine creates new opportunities for veterans to access care, but the caveats of this treatment model remain little understood.

Objectives

This study of 185 veterans (M, n=172; F, n=13) attempts to understand what veterans enjoy and dislike about e-health solutions, offered by V.A. Administration.

Methods

A quantitative survey and qualitative follow-up phone interviews constitute the data for this study.

Results

The results show that all participants participated in e-health follow-up to their care for depression (67%), PTSD (44%), and other psychiatric problems (24%). The main mode of communication with physicians was video (96%) and secure chat or e-mail communication (16%). The main advantage of these solutions is requesting refills for medications (80%), asking to follow up questions about treatment plan (49%), raising new health concerns (14%), and seeking advice regarding lifestyle changes or diet (63%). The main disadvantage of telemedicine solutions were feeling disconnected from a physician (42%), inadequate length of appointment (39%), technical difficulties (24%). Some patients felt that their condition worsened because of extended telehealth treatment (12%) while the overwhelming majority felt that it improved their well-being (57%). About 72% of all participants saw e-health follow-ups as a supplemental form of care, while 28% viewed e-health care as their primary mode of treatment. After trying out telemedicine-based care, 48% felt that their treatments were adequate, while 52% felt that they needed to return to traditional, in-office psychiatric management.

Conclusions

Telemedicine offers patients new ways to follow up on their psychiatric care, yet 52% find this model of care to be inadequate.

Introduction

Social media influencers are typically people without medical treatment who offer health advice or advertise products, without any professional oversight.

Objectives

This study of 110 veterans (M, n=70; F=40) very active on social media (+10 hours a week, 88%) seeks to understand how posts by influencers impact their health decision making.

Methods

This is a mixed-methods survey-based study, followed by qualitative phone interviews.

Results

Participants in this study spend an average of 10-15 hours on social media platforms. Most use Facebook (84%), Twitter (75%) and Instagram (29%) to get their health information. About two quarter (46%) follow dedicated blogs or health sites curated by health media influencers (40%) to obtain health advice. The average number of influencers followed is 1-5 (72%) and of those reportedly only 1 in 5 has some health qualifications such as being a gym instructor (37%), a nurse (10%), or a doctor (less than 5%). The main qualities veterans use to gauge authority of these influences are endorsements (79%: professional, 80%; other influencers: 25%; professional affiliations, 42%), visual appeal of content (90%), frequency of posting (82%), perceived quality (input from consultants, interviews with health professions)(72%), references to professional literature (35%). Influencers offering lifestyle (diet and exercise advice) were more likely to be seen as authoritative than those merely discussing scientific literature and professional societal recommendations (68% vs. 32%).

Conclusions

Social media influencers producing content offering lifestyle changes are more likely to influence the health decisions of veterans active on social media.