Jones, S.P., Patel, V., Saxena, S., Radcliffe, N., Al-Marri, S.A., & Darzi, A.. (2014). How Google’s ‘Ten Things We Know To Be True’ could guide the development of mental health mobile apps. Health Affairs, 33(9), 1603-1611. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2014.0380. PMID: 25201665.
A huge shortage of mental health providers exists globally. With the expansion of mobile technologies, more people have access to mobile phones than mental health providers. Therefore, mobile mental health (mHealth) applications could potentially fill a treatment gap and provide accessible, evidence-based care to individuals all over the world. In this article, the authors use the ten Google principles to help policymakers better understand how to make these mobile health technologies successful. The authors suggest designing simple, focused mHealth technologies that only replace one in-person procedure, such as text appointment reminders. Additionally, mHealth technologies must be accessible, engaging, and fast. Because patients are used to receiving individualized care, mHealth applications should be easy to personalize. To better embed mHealth technologies into clinical practice, these programs should be used in professional development courses for mental health providers. The authors also recommend creating alliances between mental health and technology professionals to better develop innovative programs with an evidence base.