Mental health in an unequal world. World Mental Health Day 2021

Mental health in an unequal world. World Mental Health Day 2021

Mental illness, why bother if all goes well? Because the day it hits you or your loved ones, you may be faced with the harsh reality of “Mental Health in an unequal world”. Close to 1 billion people globally are living with a mental disorder. Yet, countries spend on avg. 2% of their national health budgets on mental health leaving a disproportionate gap between demand for mental health services and supply. Each year, October 10th marks the “World Mental Health Day”. This year the theme is “Mental Health in an Unequal World”. 

Originally chosen by the World Federation for Mental Health, the theme Mental Health in an Unequal World” refers to the inequality in access to health services in low- and middle-income countries, where between 75% and 95% of patients with mental disorders have no access to mental health services at all. Despite the universal nature and the magnitude of mental illness, the gap between demand for mental health services and supply remains substantial.

The global pandemic along with the climate crisis and social disarrangement lead the world to a difficult place. To date, the pandemic is impacting people of all ages and backgrounds: Illness, economic impact, job insecurity, and most importantly, physical distancing leading to social isolation and millions of people facing mental health issues.

  • Close to one billion people have a mental disorder and anyone can be affected.
  • Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Globally, an estimated 5% of adults suffer from depression.
  • Globally, one in seven 10-19-year-olds suffers from a mental disorder. Half of all such disorders begin by the age of 14, but most go undiagnosed and untreated.
  • People with severe mental disorders like schizophrenia typically die 10-20 years earlier than the general population.
  • One in 100 deaths is by suicide. It is the fourth leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29.
  • The COVID -19 pandemic has had a significant impact on people’s mental health.

The World Federation for Mental Health also addresses the disparity between mental health investment and overall health. On average, countries spend only 2% of their national health budgets on mental health. This has changed little in recent years. Despite the scale of mental illness, the gap between demand for mental health services and supply remains substantial. Unaddressed mental health issues are now a leading global cause of disability and suffering. Yet only 10% receive “adequate” treatment – 75% receive no treatment at all.

The limited global availability of effective mental health treatments and a lack of objective measures of response to treatment, are some of the barriers in advancing patient outcomes. To reduce burden, it is critical to diagnose and monitor mood disorders using widely accessible, less costly, and scalable methods, which can enable a higher degree of specificity in mental health diagnoses and timely detection of clinical deterioration.

Building on the widespread adoption of smartphones, mobile health (mhealth) has gained significant interest as a means for capturing continuous, objectively observable and measurable data of patients’ behaviour and mental state. The data collected on smartphones and sensors represent a new approach aimed at measuring human behaviour and mental health, and thus an opportunity of detecting, assessing, and monitoring psychiatric disorders in a less costly and less burdensome way for the clinician.

The data collected on the smartphone are also referred to as digital biomarkers. These can be collected both passively through inbuilt sensors on the smartphone (physical activity and geolocation, social activity, text messages usage, phone usage, voice and speech pattern or wearables (sleep and activity), and actively via user engagement through self-monitored data/self-assessment data (mood, sleep, stress, medicine adherence).

By collecting this data between physician visits, clinicians can see fluctuations in patients’ mental states, providing a more holistic representation of the patient’s functioning over time. The data hereby offer the opportunity for clinicians to predict relevant outcomes in mood disorders and can thus serve as a tool of triage enabling to provide timely and preventative support to the individuals in critical need.

This approach, also known as digital-enabled psychiatry, has gained considerable interest and been extensively researched over the past decade to offer more people access to high-quality health and social care.

To learn more, visit our Research section here or watch a video on the opportunity of digital-enabled psychiatry from the Week of Health and Innovation conference 2021 in Denmark.

References:

https://wfmh.global/2021-world-mental-health-global-awareness-campaign-world-mental-health-day-theme/

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240031029

https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day/2021

https://www.who.int/key-messages

[1] https://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/EN_WHS2012_Full.pdf

[2] The size and burden of mental disorders and other disorders of the brain in Europe 2010. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2011

[3] OECD – 2015

[4] Economist Intelligence Unit – 2015

Transforming healthcare with technology-enabled care

Transforming healthcare with technology-enabled care

Connected health or technology-enabled care (TEC) is the collective term used for telecare, telehealth, telemedicine, mHealth, digital health, and eHealth services. TEC is now seen as a fundamental part of the solution to solve many healthcare challenges.

TEC helps people self-manage their health and wellbeing, alert healthcare professionals in case of any changes in an individual’s condition and support medication adherence.

It also helps clinicians and care providers deliver more efficient and cost-effective care.

Digital technology is advancing exponentially, and its cost is becoming more affordable. The need for more cost-effective healthcare is rising. Now more than ever, healthcare authorities need to adopt new technologies to help meet this demand.

Key trends

An aging population

The population is increasing, and people are living longer. These two factors, in addition to a rise in chronic conditions, present new healthcare challenges.

In the United States, population projection reports that older adults currently make up about 15% of the population, and by the year 2060 is estimated to amount to 23.5%.

There are similar numbers reported for Europe, where the group of 65-year old or older make up 19% of the population and is predicted to amount to 29% of the total population by the year 2080.

Use of mobile devices is increasing amongst all age groups

A 2019 report conducted by Provision Living, a senior living community in the U.S.,  revealed that on average, Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) and millennials (born between 1981 and 1995) spend on average, five hours a day on their smartphones.

Smartphone adoption among Americans:

  • Aged 50 to 59 is 86%
  • Aged 60 to 69 is 81%
  • Aged 70+ is 62%

Other market drivers

The demand for apps and wearable devices is also being driven by an increased focus on personalised care. Large pharmaceutical companies are now using apps and wearables to gather valuable health-related patient data, support their research, and provide an holistic service to patients.

In 2014, the leading pharmaceutical companies had an increase of 63 % in unique apps compared to 2013. In just one year, the total number of downloads of pharmaceutical apps increased by 197% as shown in Figure 1. These apps deliver education and training, can titrate medication and monitor compliance.

Figure 1. The number of apps published by leading pharmaceutical companies, 2013 and 2014.

There has also been an increase in online patient communities, using social media as a platform to exchange experiences with patients and carers.

Increasing patient trust in health apps

There is strong evidence that patients are now more than ever concerned about self-care, and they are interested in boosting their health and wellbeing. In addition to this, health technology companies are working to improve the quality of apps, increase user confidence and trust, and launch informed decision-making in app selection for health professionals, patients and the public.

Agencies like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or NHS Choices and its NHS Health Apps Library have developed criteria that judge apps for safety and technical proficiency. For example, for apps to be included on the NHS Choices search website, which in early 2015 lists around 150 apps, they must be reviewed by a technical team (testing relevance, legal compliance and data protection), then by a clinical team (to test scientific rigour).

PatientView is an independent organisation that has developed a systematic method of appraising health apps. Until April 2015, there were 363 apps recommended for the Apple platform and 236 for Android, with smaller numbers recommended for use on other platforms.

In 2014, PatientView undertook a survey of 1,130 patient group members to identify what people want from health apps as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. What do patients and carers want from health apps?

References:

Connected Health: How Digital technology is transforming health and social care. Deloitte Health.

Forget Generational Stereotypes, Baby Boomers Are Just As Addicted To Smart Phones As Millennials. 

Older Adults Keep Pace on Tech Usage.

An Aging Population, Larger Chronic Disease Burden, and Reliance on Digital Self-Management Tools Require Contributions from Nurse Informaticians.

What Is the difference between a health app and an mhealth solution?

What Is the difference between a health app and an mhealth solution?

Over the past few years, mHealth solutions have begun to solve some of the problems that are ailing healthcare. MHealth is paving the way for better data management, doctor-patient communication, reduced hospital admissionsmedication adherence, and remote patient monitoring. 

MHealth solutions are improving outcomes in measurable, repeatable ways by connecting patients with their doctors.

In 2017 mHealth captured $23 billion in revenues, with an estimated growth rate of 35% annually over the next several years.

What is the difference between a health app and an mHealth solution?

Health apps are application programmes that offer health-related services for smartphones, tablets, PCs, and other communication devices.

The most popular categories of health/wellness apps are: 

  • Sports and fitness activity tracking
  • Diet and nutrition
  • Weight loss coaching
  • Medication tracking
  • Sleep cycle
  • Stress and relaxation
  • Meditation
  • Menstrual period tracking
  • Pregnancy
  • Hospital selection and appointment tracking

Health apps can provide valuable information to users. However, it may be hard to determine the accuracy of the information provided and may not be easy to share this data with the user’s doctor.

MHealth or mobile health refers to the practice of medicine and public health supported by mobile devices such as mobile phones, tablets, personal digital assistants and wireless infrastructure. It encompasses all applications of telecommunications and multimedia technologies for the delivery of healthcare and health information.

Why is mHealth used?

  • Provides education and awareness
  • Assists with diagnostic and treatment support
  • Enables remote data collection
  • Facilitates remote monitoring
  • Enables telemedicine
  • Supports chronic disease management
  • Support medication compliance

Numerous mHealth initiatives across the world have demonstrated the efficacy of using mobile devices to deliver better care in a cost-effective manner.

Many mHealth solutions offer different types of information sharing, such as data collection through patient self-assessments, electronic questionnaires, and sensor data. They can also offer emergency action plans and an encrypted messaging system that allows direct communication with the clinic.

Besides, many mHealth solutions are considered certified medical devices that have a proven record of helping healthcare professionals in the monitoring and treatment of their patients.

Both, health apps and mHealth solutions can both be used on-the-go. However, the main difference is that health apps are for consumers-only and mHealth solutions improve the collaboration between patients and healthcare professionals.

References:

mHealth (Mobile Healthcare) Ecosystem Market: 2017-2030 – $23 Billion Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts.

Health apps definition.

What is mHealth?

 

Monsenso leads mental health component of H2020 funded WellCo Virtual Coach for Behavioural Changes

Monsenso leads mental health component of H2020 funded WellCo Virtual Coach for Behavioural Changes

Monsenso’s mHealth solution will lead the mental health component of a new ICT solution designed to help users maintain or improve their physical, cognitive, mental, and social well-being. 

Copenhagen, Denmark – 6 February 2018 Monsenso is proud to be a consortium partner in the international team consisting of SME companies, universities, and research centres for the Horizon 2020 funded WellCo project.

Led by Spanish ICT company Hi-Iberia, the WellCo project will deliver a radically new ICT solution focused on encouraging users to adopt and maintain healthier behavioural choices to help improve their long-term physical, cognitive, mental, and social well-being. The study will mostly be working with older participants.

“WellCo’s aim is to change behaviours and promote a healthy living that will be translated in better quality of life for seniors. One of the main factors is to ensure the acceptance and maintenance of the healthy behaviors promoted by WellCo. The WellCo application will try to make use of the technology as a tool to personalize and tailor these recommendations to the specific needs and preferences of each user.” says Inmaculada Luengo of Hi-Iberia.

The solution will consist of many components, including a comprehensive assessment, personalised advice, and supervised guidance & follow-up for users. WellCo interventions will be guided by an affective aware virtual coach that, through using state of the art technologies in AI (artificial intelligence), will interactively guide and empower users towards important behavioural changes.

Monsenso’s mHealth solution will help contribute experience and knowledge to the project, by providing comprehensive routine monitoring and detailed data collection for assessing the participant’s behaviour.

“We play a leading role in the development of the user assessment and in the design of the virtual coach, and we will also be involved in the prototyping and dissemination components,” says Thomas Lethenborg, CEO of Monsenso. “We are excited to see how we can build on our remote monitoring and sensor data functionality, in order to contribute to collecting longitudinal data to help improve the mental health of participants.”

The virtual coach will be tested in trial in Trento in Italy, Castilla y León in Spain, Copenhagen and the Southern Denmark area in Denmark. There will be a minimum of 150 end-users included in the study. The study will be continuously supported by a multidisciplinary team of experts and users’ close caregivers to ensure the effectiveness and accuracy of the guided wellness interventions.

Other Danish Involvement in the Project 

In Denmark, the University of Copenhagen and The University of Southern Denmark will be working alongside Monsenso in the study.

The University of Copenhagen will contribute to the study with the Quality of Life Lab, which explores the development and evaluation of personal behavioural health metrics by examining how sensor data can be used as a minimally obtrusive method to accurately and longitudinally measure an individual’s behaviour. The lab will also examine how an individual’s quality of life naturally unfolds over time; within this context, the lab will also examine which behavioural change methods can be used to improve the individual’s overall quality of life.

“It is very exciting to be involved in this study and to see how sensor data and remote monitoring can work together to offer a better, more informed, detailed picture of individual’s behaviours for the assessment and improvement of their quality of life and overall well-being.” says Katarzyna Wac, Quality of Life Lab leader and Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen.

The solution will be implemented, demonstrated, and piloted at The University of Southern Denmark.

“We will be very interested to see how this project effects our elderly patients and their wellbeing, and how much more data and information can be extracted with the use of remote monitoring and sensor data tools,” says Torben Uhrenholt of The University of Southern Denmark.

The Monsenso solution is currently being used in Region South Denmark Clinics.

Consortium Members 

The consortium consists of:

  • 3 SME companies: H-Iberia, a Spanish ICT solution supplying company, Connected Care from The Netherlands and Monsenso
  • Two universities: The University of Copenhagen and The University of Southern Denmark
  • One research center: Jozef Stefan Institute (Slovenia) and two end-user organisations Fondazione Bruno Kessler (Italy) and Gerencia Servicios Sociales Castilla y León (Spain)

The project has launched on December 4th in Madrid and will continue until the end of 2020.

Click here to read the press release in Danish.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No.769765.

About Monsenso: Monsenso is an innovative technology company based in Denmark that offers a comprehensive mHealth solution to optimise the treatment of mental disorders. Our mission is to assist healthcare providers, researchers and individuals in coping with and overcoming the burden of mental illness. Our solution provides a detailed overview of the patient’s mental health through the automatic collection of behavioural data and routine self-monitoring. Our team is committed to developing complete and effective solutions that fit seamlessly within the lives of individuals, in order to increase the quality and efficacy of their treatment.

For additional information, please contact:
Thomas Lethenborg
CEO
Monsenso
+45 30 25 15 26
http://info@monsenso.com

Torben Uhrenholt
IT Project Leader
tuhrenholt@health.sdu.dk

Katarzyna Wac
Quality of Life Lab Leader and Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen
wac@di.ku.dk

Why pharma can benefit from mHealth solutions

Why pharma can benefit from mHealth solutions

Pharma can benefit from mHealth solutions by using them in clinical trials, and by offering them to healthcare providers as part of a comprehensive treatment solution.

Meeting the needs of healthcare providers

The healthcare industry is widely adopting digital technologies. But, today’s healthcare providers are extremely busy between seeing patients and filing paperwork, which limits their time online.

Nowadays, more than 80% of HCPs have a desktop/laptop computer and a smartphone, and 72% own a tablet. [1] Mobile assets are rapidly becoming components in the clinical environment.

Pharma can benefit from mHealth solutions since many healthcare providers would like to find new evidence-based medicine to provide better treatment for their patients, but in many cases, they don’t have time.  In fact, according to a survey conducted by Publicis on Sermo, 81% of clinicians want higher quality pharma representatives capable of having serious discussions of multiple therapeutic options. [2]

Pharma can benefit from mHealth solutions by offering  them to healthcare providers, and  help them satisfy their needs – improving health outcomes, information sharing, and staying updated with the latest treatments.  Providing this type of solution will not only facilitate their customers’ jobs, but they will also open new doors and new opportunities to propose comprehensive treatment solutions.

Pharma should reach out to healthcare providers and offer them digital tools, content, and communities that can help them do their jobs more efficiently.

Improving outcomes in clinical trials

Given the challenges faced during clinical trials, it is only natural that pharma turns to mHealth solutions to help them recruit patients, as well as monitoring and measuring their results.

Subjects are much more likely to participate in a study if they have the possibility to raise their concerns or ask any questions 24/7.

Pharma can benefit from mHealth solutions, since these tools can collect even more data in real-time, improve efficiencies in time and costs, shorten timelines, as well as increase patient satisfaction, retention, and future recruitment.

A key element of success when using mHealth solutions for clinical trials is the ease with which mHealth solutions can collect data, and how that information is integrated into the whole clinical database. These data integrations should be done as closely as possible to real-time, making it easy for clinicians to visualise all the patients’ data.

Conducting clinical studies using mobile devices can help collect and monitor behavioural data and vital signs in patients. These solutions can also work as medication reminders and gather patient feedback – all these improve the decision-making process when developing new medicines.

Monsenso can provide Pharma companies with  a customised, white-label mHealth solution for their clients and to use on clinical trials. If you are interested in learning more about this, click here.

References:

[1]. Publicis Healthcare Communications Group. Publicis Touchpoint Solutions, Inc. (2012). What Physicians Want! http://en.calameo.com/read/00018255192e3ec186674?authid=adzLms3ud6Vf
[2] Manhattan Research. Unknown Author. (2013). Taking the pulse 2013. www.manhattanresearch.com
[3] MHealth in Clinical Research. Denise, Myshko. Pharma Voice. (2016, October) http://www.pharmavoice.com/article/2016-10-mhealth/