Mental health providers have responded to a
survey regarding their expectations for an adjunctive digital therapeutic
treatment for schizophrenia, according to study results recently presented at
Psych Congress 2021, held from October 29 to November 1, 2021, in San Antonio,
Texas.
This study presents data collected from a
survey sent to 33 psychiatrists and 18 psychologists who were asked to share
their expectations for an adjunctive digital therapeutic created to treat
schizophrenia. These 51 healthcare providers spend up to 25% of their time
treating individuals with schizophrenia in an outpatient setting. The survey
consisted of 10 questions, and healthcare providers were asked to rank
responses to elucidate their personal preferences for the digital therapeutic.
Survey respondents indicated that the
greatest challenges endured by those with schizophrenia included adhering to
medication (31%), impaired functioning (22%), and impaired cognition (10%). In
terms of current schizophrenia treatment, the providers ranked the population’s
greatest unmet needs as better functioning (24%), better adherence to
medication (16%), reducing relapse (12%), and improving social support (12%).
The providers reported their expectations for what the digital therapeutic
might include. Their top options included reminders for medication (37%),
integration for social support (14%), and cognitive restructuring (12%).
The study authors concluded that
“healthcare providers see the potential for digital therapeutics to act as an
adjunct to standard-of-care pharmacotherapy to address several of the known
limitations in the treatment of schizophrenia.”
Disclosure: This clinical trial was
supported by Click Therapeutics and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals.
Please see the original reference for a full list of authors’ disclosures.
