Evaluation framework for smart technology mental health interventions

Abstract

Evaluations of technological mental health interventions are often too narrow to support the uptake of such technologies. This report describes the evaluation framework used for a mobile technology study, the Mental Health Engagement Network (MHEN). The framework presented here includes four types of analyses: effectiveness, economic, policy, and ethics analysis. When technological mental health interventions are evaluated in each of these four areas, research can be more comprehensive and set the stage for spreading the innovation. Particularly, inclusion of economic analysis may speak to potential funders, ethical analysis may encourage adoption in clinical settings, and policy analysis may encourage uptake from decision-makers. This report provides a framework that can be adapted to a variety of technological mental health interventions to assess and compare not only effectiveness, but also economic, policy and ethical challenges and opportunities. Findings from the MHEN study are presented as a case study of the applied framework.