NCT06702293

Use of a Digital Psychotherapeutic App to Reduce Symptom Burden in Dermatology Patients

Development and Testing of a Digital Psychological Tool to Improve Symptom Burden in Dermatology Patients

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 690 (estimated)
• Sponsor: National University Hospital, Singapore · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 16 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Skin diseases, despite low mortality, significantly impair quality of life. This randomised controlled trial evaluates the efficacy of a digital toolkit comprising psychotherapeutic strategies in reducing QoL burden in patients with chronic inflammatory skin conditions. This toolkit is hosted on a mobile application and will be used by study participants randomised to the intervention arm over the 32 week study period.

Detailed description

Chronic inflammatory skin diseases, despite low mortality, significantly impair quality of life. Up to 80% of dermatological patients experience severe itch and poor sleep, and related such mental health challenges as anxiety and depression. The relationship between skin diseases and mental health highlights the challenges that doctors face in treating these conditions. Existing psychotherapeutics such as Mindfulness training, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy are widely used and effective in the treatment of mental health illness. However, there is limited evidence on the application of such interventions in dermatology and most mental health apps lack robust clinical evaluation. We report the design of a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and implementation of a mobile app containing dermatology-specified psychotherapeutic strategies in reducing QoL burden.

Conditions

• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Urticaria

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Digital psychotherapeutic intervention	Mobile app comprising various psychobehavioural tools to educate, enhance self-efficacy and coping and promote wellness in dermatological patients.
BEHAVIORAL	Healthy365	Mobile application by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) Singapore which aims to encourage users to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-07-01
• Primary completion: 2028-07-01
• Completion: 2029-07-01
• First posted: 2024-11-22
• Last updated: 2025-06-26