The Efficacy of Using a Smartphone App to Support Shared Decision Making in People With a Diagnosis of Schizophrenia

Background: Shared decision making (SDM) may be associated with positive health outcomes for the patient. While practitioners provide a professional expertise with information on the diagnosis, course of the illness, treatment options and potential side effects, patients are experts on their own needs, treatment preferences and goals. In mental healthcare, SDM have been assessed as a promising treatment intervention to promote patient involvement and clinical guidelines advocate the use of SDM as a patient-centered mental health care and a mean to increase patient empowerment. Although SDM today seems to be a preferred model for clinical decision-making for both patients and providers in mental health, patients indicate that they are not involved as much as they want to be in their treatment. Studies on SDM interventions for people with mental health issues are somewhat sparse and due to a small number of RCT studies, the evidence on SDM in mental health has been concluded as encouraging but inconclusive. Based on recent research, a digital healthcare solution which links patients and providers together could assist in providing support and potentially promote SDM. Findings from existing randomized controlled trials suggest that electronic aids to support SDM are a promising mean to engage patients in their mental health treatment. Recent systematic reviews do, however, highlight a need for more evidence-based research on the efficacy and effectiveness of mental health apps. Intervention: Momentum is a smartphone app, developed to support people with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders to prepare for treatment consultations while becoming more involved in treatment decisions. The app was developed in the period of 2013-2014 to support SDM in the Mental Health Services of the Capital Region of Denmark in a process of co-creation. Afterwards, the app was tested by 116 mental health professionals and 78 patients from three different mental health treatment sites: community of mental health, inpatient- and outpatient treatment sites. The app has since then been optimized based on the feedback received from the study participants. Aim: The purpose of this trial is to investigate the effects of the smartphone app Momentum for people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizotypal or delusional disorders within outpatient treatment settings in a randomized design. Our main hypothesis is that patients using the Momentum app in combination with receiving specialized early intervention treatment (i.e. treatment as usual (TAU)), compared to patients only receiving TAU, will show greater improvements in patient activation, 6 months after baseline (primary outcome). Our secondary hypothesis is that patients using the Momentum app in combination with receiving TAU, compared to patients only receiving TAU, will show greater improvements regarding self-perceived level of SDM; self-efficacy; the therapeutic alliance; hope and optimism; satisfaction with treatment; patient's confidence in communicating preferences and concerns to their provider; severity of symptoms and; level of functioning (secondary outcomes). Lastly, the investigators hypothesize that there is a correlation between the effects of using the Momentum app and self-reported usefulness of the Momentum app and/or app usage (user sessions per day, screen views per day, screens per session, session duration and session instances, user retention) (explorative outcomes).