1. What is the decision or change (e.g., clinical topic, practice guideline, system design, delivery of care) you are facing or struggling with where a summary of the evidence would be helpful?
I am interested in the study of the application of using technology innovations (AR, VR) and gamification to help provide another modality of therapy for those suffering from eating disorders, depression, anxiety, PTSD, alcoholism, and other mental disorders. Gamification is already being used in the healthcare industry and is showing promising results. Using gamification will allow for additional capabilities that are limited in traditional counseling and talk therapies. With a VR application, patients will have a way to leverage positive reinforcement instead of negative reinforcement to incite behavioral change. A VR set will also allow data mining to identify patterns in trends in key psychological factors (anxiety levels, depression, and cognitive distortions). Clinicians will also have a more holistic view of the patients so they can tailor the program based on severity of symptoms and willingness to participate. This will provide more precise therapy back by data science so the treatment team can make more informed decisions regarding patient care. Since stigma is the silent barrier, using gamification will help patients reduce the negative connotations with getting help.
2. Why are you struggling with this issue?
There are not clinical trials using gamification to promote healthy behavior change. Stigma is the main barriers for people to get care. Insurance is not reliable. High drop-out rates for in-patient care.
3. What do you want to see changed? How will you know that your issue is improving or has been addressed?
More options being provided for those without insurance or financing to go to an in-treatment facility. This would give families another option who otherwise can't afford intensive therapy. With the use of technology, we can finally use data and analytics to determine the effectiveness of each treatment modality to assess what therapy is most effective and provide more personalized treatment based on each patient. We will use current markers like SUS to assess the experience and DMS5V the severity of symptoms prior to and post-treatment.
4. When do you need the evidence report?
Monday, July 31, 2023
5. What will you do with the evidence report?
Given 1/5 of the US population are struggling with mental disorders, around 30% don't get access to help due to stigma or financial restraints. This concept can also be applied in the medical field (for occupational therapy, cancer treatment, and heart disorders. If this is found to be effective, I plan on using crowdfunding to get funding to start to build the application and then extend it to be used at universities and colleges along with posted it on Clinical Trials in order to get a larger data set to provide more research on the efficacy of the proposed idea. We could also do a study comparing this concept with traditional therapies in order to see if this will provide a more effective option for therapy.
Optional Information About You
What is your role or perspective? Other
If you are you making a suggestion on behalf of an organization, please state the name of the organization NA
May we contact you if we have questions about your nomination? Yes
