NCT04891224

Use of a Digitally Enabled App With Clinical Team Interface in the Management of Depression

Implementation and Evaluation of the Pathway Platform: A Digitally Enabled Care Pathway to Improve Depression Key Performance Indicators and Patient Outcomes in Primary Care Clinics

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 89 (actual)
• Sponsor: Wake Forest University Health Sciences · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study was conducted to understand the use of a mobile app (titled Pathway) to help patients track depression symptoms, medications, side effects, and goals in addition to the usual care with their doctor. Investigators compared the effect of the app over 6 months and examine whether the app can increase engagement between patients and their doctor and help in the management of illnesses as patients started a new treatment for depression. The investigators hoped that using an app to facilitate management of depression symptoms, medication use, and side effects help patients and their providers understand their response to medications and lead to better response and improvements in depression.

Detailed description

A pre- and post- study design was utilized to assess the impact of implementing the Pathway Platform in the primary care setting. The Pathway Platform consists of a mobile app for patients and a care team interface that can be accessed through Epic (electronic medical record system). Eight primary care sites were identified to participate in the study. Care team members involved in depression management received education on evidence-based clinical practices for depression care, such as measurement-based care practices and shared- decision making. Clinics with behavioral resources also received additional education on behavioral health integration. Training on how to onboard patients to use the Pathway Platform and utilize electronic medical records to view data collected in the Pathway Platform was also provided. Study outcomes identified in this protocol are described among patients enrolled in the Pathway Platform (post-implementation cohort) as well as a similar group of patients from the same participating clinics prior to study implantation (pre-implantation cohort). Implementation success was evaluated by comparing study outcomes among these two cohorts. The primary outcome is PHQ-9 utilization over six months are compared between the pre- and post- implementation cohorts. Additional process measures compared include; shared-decision making, medication adjustments, referrals to behavioral health, primary care follow-up post hospitalizations, and depression remission and response. Data collected in the Pathway Platform is also used to explore pre-defined patient outcomes.

Conditions

• Major Depressive Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Pathway Platform mobile app	The pathway platform intervention involves 3 components: 1. The patient facing app which will: a) Gather health information related to depression management and patient-Provider engagement. b) Clinical data collection; PHQ-9, WHO-5, PDQ-D-5, medication adherence and side effects, goal setting and goal tracking. c) Research data; Patient Activation Measure -13\[PAM-13\], CollaboRATE, and Work and Social Adjustment Scale \[WSAS\]. 2. Electronic Medical Record Integration - a) Data collected in the app is accessible to care team in real time. b) Provide a longitudinal summary to assist in decision making and depression management. 3. Educational Scaffolding - a) Training program describing how the Pathway Platform can support care team members in clinical processes related to measurement-based care and shared-decision making. b) Includes ongoing feedback with up to three audit cycles.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-02-19
• Primary completion: 2023-01-30
• Completion: 2023-01-30
• First posted: 2021-05-18
• Last updated: 2025-03-24
• Results posted: 2025-03-24

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States