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Abstract
Background: Serious mental illness (SMI) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Emerging mobile health (mHealth) and eHealth interventions may afford opportunities for reaching this at-risk group.
Aim: To review the evidence on using emerging mHealth and eHealth technologies among people with SMI.
Methods: We searched MEDLINE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane Central, and Web of Science through July 2014. Only studies which reported outcomes for mHealth or eHealth interventions, defined as remotely delivered using mobile, online, or other devices, targeting people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder, were included.
Results: Forty-six studies spanning 12 countries were included. Interventions were grouped into four categories: (1) illness self-management and relapse prevention; (2) promoting adherence to medications and/or treatment; (3) psychoeducation, supporting recovery, and promoting health and wellness; and (4) symptom monitoring. The interventions were consistently found to be highly feasible and acceptable, though clinical outcomes were variable but offered insight regarding potential effectiveness.
Conclusions: Our findings confirm the feasibility and acceptability of emerging mHealth and eHealth interventions among people with SMI; however, it is not possible to draw conclusions regarding effectiveness. Further rigorous investigation is warranted to establish effectiveness and cost benefit in this population.
Declaration of interest
This work was supported by the United States Centers for Disease Control Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research Center (Grant number: CDC U48DP005018) and a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (Grant number: NIMH R01 MH104555). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the article. The authors report no competing interests.