PCR63 Adoption and Use of a Digital Health Tool (HEALTH STORYLINES) for Self Management By People with Schizophrenia

ABSTRACT

Objectives: There is often an assumption that remote monitoring is challenging to implement among individuals with schizophrenia, due to symptoms such as paranoia and suspicion of technology, however the promise of digital approaches for passive and real-time data collection has recently been emphasized as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and increased need for digitally-enabled approaches to care and research. This research describes the use of a mHealth app by a self-selected population of users with Schizophrenia to assess the feasibility of using mobile apps for remote monitoring and research. Methods: Data from Health Storylines users between 2016-2021 who self-identified as being diagnosed with Schizophrenia is described. Data includes quantitative tracking and free text journal entries from tools designed to support the self-management of a variety of health conditions, including Schizophrenia. Results: 5,012 app users reported Schizophrenia as a diagnosed condition, all of whom reported having additional comorbidities with 70% reporting two comorbid conditions. The most frequently reported comorbidities are Anxiety disorder, Depression, Bipolar Disorder and ADD/ADHD. The three most commonly used tools were the Medication Tracker, Symptom Tracker, and Daily Moods. The most commonly reported symptoms were Hallucinations, Paranoid behavior, Hearing voices, Anxiety, Depressed mood and Delusions. Among the qualitative data, several broad themes were consistently the most frequently reported across the duration of the time period examined Psychosocial impact of the condition, Quality of life, and Experience of the condition. Conclusions: This descriptive analysis of patient engagement with the Health Storylines app reveals that many people with Schizophrenia are willing and able to engage in mobile health technology for the purpose of self-monitoring, engagement, and research. Further research is required to understand the degree of representation of the full spectrum of patients’ experience with Schizophrenia, and the role of patient engagement in completeness and quality of data collected using mobile health apps.