Close to 1 in 7 people suffer from a mental health condition [1], a leading cause of disability globally [2].
However, 75% of people with mental illnesses do not receive any treatment [3], highlighting the issue of access to mental healthcare, which has only been exacerbated by Covid.
The shortage of trained professionals in mental healthcare is a key contributor to the issue of access [4]. Patients are faced with long waiting queues to receive care [5], with no promise of quality care, given clinicians’ heavy caseload [4]. It is not uncommon that patients only receive 5 mins of clinicians’ time after months of waiting for the appointment [6]. Indeed, a large study by Elsevier Health (2022), involving over 2800 clinicians and nurses from 111 markets, found that almost 1 in 2 of clinicians globally (69% in Europe) admit that time they are able to devote to each individual patient is insufficient “to give them good care” [4].
Clearly, there are plenty of opportunities to improve patients’ access, speed to, and quality of care globally. Promisingly, the same study found that over half of the clinicians (56%) state that patients have become more empowered to manage their own conditions, and that clinicians (62%) expect a change in role towards being more in partnership with patients over the next decade. Given that mental health costs a whopping $16 trillion to the global economy by 2030 [7] and growing, there is an urgent need for solutions that are designed to tackle these issues in a scalable and cost-effective way.
The use of digital technology offers the potential to address this matter. In particular, the use of digital platforms for remote patient monitoring and health assessment could improve access and speed to care, and real-time patient analytics could enable personalised treatment and improved quality of care [4]. Ultimately, to fully benefit from such technology, patient data needs to be managed securely, the design of the solution should focus on the needs of its users, and it should be continually assessed on its ability to deliver value to patients and clinicians.
About Monsenso:
Monsenso is a digital health company that enables better outcomes for patients and clinicians through data-driven decisions. We are focused on mental health and user-centred in designing our solutions for patients and clinicians. Our cloud-based platform is a CE-marked medical device (Class 1, pending Class 2a and MDR certification) that is HIPAA compliant, with certifications in ISO 13485, ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, and TGA. Our solution has been clinically and scientifically validated by over 70+ peer-reviewed studies and can be configured for applications across mental health conditions. We work with healthcare systems, life sciences, and research organisations globally. To learn more, visit www.monsenso.com
References:
[1] World Health Organization (2020). World Mental Health Day: an opportunity to kick-start a massive scale-up in investment in mental health.
https://www.who.int/news/item/27-08-2020-world-mental-health-day-an-opportunity-to-kick-start-a-massive-scale-up-in-investment-in-mental-health#:~:text=Mental%20health%20is%20one%20of,every%2040%20seconds%20by%20suicide.
[2] Wainberg, M. L., Scorza, P., Shultz, J. M., Helpman, L., Mootz, J. J., Johnson, K. A., Neria, Y., Bradford, J. E., Oquendo, M. A., & Arbuckle, M. R. (2017). Challenges and Opportunities in Global Mental Health: a Research-to-Practice Perspective. Current psychiatry reports 19(5): 28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-017-0780-z.
[3] Marchildon, J. (2020). 4 Barriers to Accessing Mental Health Services Around the World.
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/barriers-to-mental-health-around-the-world/.
[4] Elsevier Health (2022). Clinician of the Future Report 2022.
https://www.elsevier.com/connect/clinician-of-the-future.
[5] Royal College of Psychiatrist (2020). Two-fifths of patients waiting for mental health treatment forced to resort to emergency or crisis services.
https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/news-and-features/latest-news/detail/2020/10/06/two-fifths-of-patients-waiting-for-mental-health-treatment-forced-to-resort-to-emergency-or-crisis-services.
[6]. Becker, G., Kempf, D.E., Xander, C.J. et al. (2010). Four minutes for a patient, twenty seconds for a relative – an observational study at a university hospital. BMC Health Serv Res 10(94).
https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6963-10-94.
[7] Lancet Commission. (2018). Report: Mental illness will cost the world $16 trillion (USD) by 2030. Mental Health Weekly 28(39): 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/mhw.31630.