Clinician’s guide to evaluating and developing ehealth interventions for mental health

Abstract

Objective: This review aimed to examine key information regarding technology‐delivered interventions for patients with mental health and/or substance use disorders and to provide support for efforts by psychiatrists and other mental health professionals in recommending applications or helping to develop new technology‐delivered interventions. Methods: The authors reviewed existing information about the appraisal, development, and evaluation of technology-delivered interventions (eHealth interventions). Results: High‐level guidance is available for clinicians who want to evaluate eHealth applications for their patients. Clinicians should be familiar with existing models of eHealth intervention development and with traditional as well as unique elements in the evaluation of efficacy for these approaches. However, existing intervention development models have not been empirically validated, and only one includes empirical optimization as an inherent part of its process. Conclusions: Because of the proliferation of eHealth inter-ventions, mental health professionals should bring to this area the same level of content knowledge, understanding of development and evaluation processes, and rigorous skepticism as they do for pharmacotherapy and therapist‐delivered behavioral interventions.