Digital intervention success is closely associated with understanding who the intervention is for, the patients. Many interventions currently face high attrition, which indicates insufficient attention to patient needs, preferences, and context. This can have dire consequences for overall intervention efficacy. While game-based interventions are actively developed, there is little prior research on who is interested in using them.
The novel study from Aalto University and Helsinki University investigates depression patients who are interested in using game-based interventions. The study involves a considerable, multimethod sample with 22 interviews and 445 questionnaire respondents who had signed up for using Meliora intervention.
The study reveals four themes related to patient mental health and gaming backgrounds:
- Enduring and diverse psychiatric symptomatology. The patients had had symptoms for years and their problems were heterogeneous.
- Prior treatments have helped but not sufficiently. The patients had received several prior treatments, but they had not received a full response.
- Close relationship with gaming. Many had long-term experience with gaming that was an important part of their life.
- Gaming alleviates anxiety and depression. The patients found that gaming allowed them to self-manage their psychiatric symptoms, but it was difficult to draw the line between escapism and avoidance.
This pioneering study reveals new information on patients interested in using game-based interventions, which has considerable value in ensuring the interventions are relevant and serve the users’ needs.
Read more here: https://bmcdigitalhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s44247-023-00037-w
Reference
Lukka, L., Salonen, A., Vesterinen, M. et al. (2023). The qualities of patients interested in using a game-based digital mental health intervention for depression: a sequential mixed methods study. BMC Digital Health, 1(37). https://doi.org/10.1186/s44247-023-00037-w