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Using apps in clinical practice: 8 studies

Current Psychiatry. 2023 July;22(7):36-42,47 | doi: 10.12788/cp.0377
June 30, 2023|Current Psychiatry
Ashish T. Khanchandani, MS;Sy Atezaz Saeed, MD, MS
Author and Disclosure Information

Mr. Khanchandani is an MD candidate, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina. Dr. Saeed is Professor and Chair Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina.

Disclosures
The authors report no financial relationships with any companies whose products are mentioned in this article, or with manufacturers of competing products.

Conclusions/limitations

  • CBT delivered via the Perspectives app and a coach proved to be effective treatment for adults with BDD.
  • Adoption of the application was relatively high; 86% of Perspectives users were very or mostly satisfied.
  • Limitations: Because the participants in this study were predominantly female and White, the findings might not be generalizable to other populations.

7. Kuhn E, Miller KE, Puran D, et al. A pilot randomized controlled trial of the Insomnia Coach mobile app to assess its feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy. Behav Ther. 2022;53(3):440-457. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2021.11.003

Insomnia remains a substantial problem among military veterans. First-line treatments for the disorder are sleep hygiene modification and CBT. Access to CBT is limited, especially for veterans. Kuhn et al11 studied the effectiveness of using Insomnia Coach, a CBT for insomnia–based app, to improve insomnia symptoms.

Study design

  • Fifty US veterans who were mostly male (58%) with a mean age of 44.5 and moderate insomnia symptoms were randomized to use Insomnia Coach (n = 25) or to a waitlist control group (n = 25) for 6 weeks.
  • All participants completed self-report measures and sleep diaries at baseline, posttreatment, and follow-up (12 weeks). Those who used the app (n = 15) completed a qualitative interview at posttreatment.

Outcomes

  • At posttreatment, 28% of participants who used Insomnia Coach achieved clinically significant improvement, vs 4% of waitlist control participants. There was also a significant treatment effect on daytime sleep-related impairment (P = .044, d = -0.6).
  • Additional treatment effects emerged at follow-up for insomnia severity, sleep onset latency, global sleep quality, and depression symptoms.
  • Based on self-reports and qualitative interview responses, participants’ perceptions of Insomnia Coach were favorable. Three-fourths of participants used the app through 6 weeks and engaged with active elements.

Continue to: Conclusions/limitations

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