The healthcare industry has been evolving into a more digitized and electronic format over the last several decades, which means patients are involving technologies such as mobile health apps and remote health tools in their overall medical care. Mental healthcare has become more prevalent in today's world than in decades past, especially due to the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people's mental health.
Many individuals are left home alone and children have spent months without being in the presence of other peers due to the schools shutting down in the pandemic. Many families have lost loved ones because of the pandemic, which is causing an increase in grief and depression. All of these factors are impacting the mental health of people around the globe. As such, it is helpful to use mobile health apps as a mental health solution in order to improve the mental well-being of people throughout the world.
Digitization of Healthcare
There are multiple benefits for the digitization of healthcare, especially since there have been significant improvements in software security in recent years, according to Digital Health Buzz. Some of these benefits include better patient care coordination, automated administrative processes, real-time medical data access, and effective communication between doctors.
Healthcare digitization involves creating and storing medical histories on a digital file as well as uploading it to the cloud to share among multiple healthcare providers. With doctors spending as much as one-third of all patient encounters entering in data, it is essential for physicians to use automated administrative processes to have more time to speak with their patients. Communicating between multiple physicians using digital tools is also essential in more complex patient cases to ensure the best medical plan is followed by all providers involved. In the world of mental healthcare, mental health apps are especially useful.
What are Mental Health Apps?
Mental health apps are essentially digital mobile applications that can be used either on a smartphone or tablet and they provide advice or assistance with their mental health. This type of healthcare can be more accessible for people and more useful as a mobile platform. You'll find a wide variety of mobile health apps that treat anything from depression and anxiety to fear, stress, and self-harm, according to the United Kingdom's NHS website.
These mobile tools are able to help people better manage their emotions, control negative thoughts, express feelings, and even prevent self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Some mobile health apps teach people effective breathing techniques and provide relaxing music. You can even use the mobile app WorryTree to implement cognitive behavioural therapy strategies to record and better control your anxieties.
Five Important Benefits of Mobile Health Apps Protecting Mental Health
There are multiple advantages from using mobile health apps to improve one's mental well-being. These benefits include greater convenience, lower medical costs, anonymity, continual and constant support, and high engagement rates.
Treatment for one's mental healthcare can occur anywhere and anytime when utilizing mobile health apps, which makes this a very convenient type of therapy. If a patient has more difficulty making in-person appointments (especially during a pandemic), it is helpful to use a mobile health app whether you need assistance in the middle of the night or while out commuting to work.
The costs of psychiatric care or counseling is often much more expensive than a mobile health app. In fact, mental health apps are often free or cheaper than traditional psychological care and counseling. Lower medical costs may be an essential reason for many patients to choose mobile health apps over traditional care.
Anonymity is another major reason why many people around the globe may prefer to utilize mental health apps instead of seeing a therapist in person. Many people prefer not to share their personal and private information even with a professional and would rather manage their mental health more privately without involving other people. Essentially, the anonymity of mobile health treatment options may be preferable for many patients.
Then, there are also people out there who need more constant support for their mental healthcare. Some individuals may need both a therapist that they see in-person as well as the benefits of mobile health apps to manage their mental healthcare when they are at home, work, or even out on the town. For instance, some people may suffer from social anxiety and would actually have difficulty attending a party. At such times, using a mental health app may greatly help alleviate stress.
Essentially, technology such as mobile apps can effectively accompany traditional therapy sessions. Along with in-person therapy, these tools can strengthen new skills, improve monitoring, and supply extra support.
Lastly, high engagement rates are another benefit of mobile health apps. Patients are rarely using their mobile apps with clinical oversight, which means they are stimulated to use these apps on their own instead of having to follow a therapist's orders. In addition, greater engagement can be sparked due to usage prompts, real-time engagement, and game-like interactions.
Conclusion
In a world full of factors stimulating depression, anxiety, and more, it is essential to implement more mental healthcare tools to ensure patients are not left dealing with severe mental conditions on their own. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there are more reasons than in decades past for many individuals to face their own anxieties, fears, and depression. Many families are grieving for lost loved ones, others are feeling afraid from the potential to become incredibly ill, and some are feeling very lonely due to quarantining.
With healthcare becoming more digitized and doctors communicating among each other via digital tools, it is essential to embrace mobile health apps in order to treat mental health during the pandemic. Many patients are also implementing patient portals to check their appointments and test results as well as communicate with their physicians. Mobile health apps provide numerous benefits including providing more convenience, decreasing healthcare costs, offering anonymity, and providing constant support and greater engagement rates. With health digitization evolving every day, mobile health apps are imperative for improving mental well-being.
