Digital navigators for acceptance and competence development with mental health apps

Digital health applications (DiGAs) can improve mental health and provide timely primary care to underserved populations. However, their use has so far been limited in Germany. Human guidance can strengthen engagement with DiGAs. As part of the pilot project "Digital Navigators for Acceptance and Competence Development" (DigiNavi) (duration 07/2024 - 07/2025), medical team members will be trained as DiGA experts, so-called digital navigators, and implemented as exemplary tools in primary care and outpatient psychiatric care in various rural regions of Brandenburg. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Health and is being conducted in close cooperation with national (MH Hannover, TU Braunschweig) and international (Harvard Medical School, USA) universities. Further information can be found on our project website (www.diginavi.de).

Study team:

Eva Meier-Diedrich, M.Sc. (Research Associate)

Darja Schubert (Promovendin)

Justin Speck, B.Sc. (Student Assistant)

Laura Uchtmann (Research Associate)

Julia Schönbeck (Student Assistant)

Koda-StäB stands for "Concept Development for Digitally Assisted Inpatient Equivalent Treatment" and is a project at the University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Brandenburg Medical School (MHB, duration: January 2024 – April 2025). Using participatory, qualitative methods, Koda-StäB investigates how digital tools can be integrated into inpatient-equivalent psychiatric treatment (StäB) in order to integrate and improve the patient-orientation of this form of care. The study builds on a best-practice model of StäB from the patient perspective, which was developed as part of the AKtiV study (funded by the Innovation Fund), and examines, among other things, its feasibility through digitalization. The project is being conducted in collaboration with the Brandenburg University of Technology (Prof. Thomas Schrader) and Joanneum Research Graz (Stefan Hochwarter) and is supported by the Center for Clinical Studies Brandenburg (ZKS-BB). Koda-StäB is funded by the MHB’s internal research funding.

Study team:

Hannah Mundry (Project Manager/PhD Student)

In a growing number of countries, patients are gaining access to their physicians' clinical notes (so-called "Open Notes") via online portals. In Germany, this option is not yet available within standard care. The OpenNOTES study (duration: March 2025 - February 2028) examines (1) the impact of Open Notes on patient empowerment, (2) the use of artificial intelligence for patient-centered formulation of clinical notes, and (3) possibilities for implementing Open Notes in standard care. OpenNOTES stands for "Online Access to Clinical Treatment Notes for Outpatients." The project is funded by the Innovation Fund of the Joint Federal Committee and is being conducted in close cooperation with the IMVR (Institute for Medical Sociology, Health Services Research and Rehabilitation Science) at the University of Cologne and the Brandenburg University of Technology (THB).

Study team:

Eva Meier-Diedrich, M.Sc. (Research Associate)

Jonas Wördemann (Student Assistant)

Lena Holtz, B.Sc. (Student Assistant)

Pelin Özkara Menekseoglu, MD (Research Associate)

This study focuses on mental health professionals' experiences with AI-supported documentation software. Key aspects include the perceived advantages and disadvantages of the technology, concerns about data protection and ethical issues, and professionals' expectations regarding the improvement and optimization of software in the mental health field. By addressing these topics, the study (duration: January 2025 - July 2025) aims to evaluate the practical impact of AI tools on therapeutic workflows and provide recommendations for their development and implementation in the mental health field. The research questions will be explored through qualitative expert interviews.

The current rapid development in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly affecting physicians in the fields of psychology and neuroscience. According to a survey of members of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), 70% of respondents find AI applications such as ChatGPT helpful for completing administrative tasks. Up to 44% of American psychiatrists even use AI chatbots to support them with clinical questions. Patients also use the applications, for example, to prepare for medical consultations. The MHB is conducting a survey on the use of AI in medical-psychiatric work as part of a psychology bachelor's thesis, which is primarily aimed at medical practitioners. The online survey is self-funded (duration: September 2024 - April 2025).

Study team:

Lena Holtz, B.Sc. (Student Assistant)

Charlotte Blease, PhD (Ass. Prof. @Uppsala University, Sweden)

Paper:

Schwarz, J., Goer, V., Guzhova, O., Holtz, L., Muehlensiepen, F., & Blease, C. (2025). Psychiatrists’ experiences and opinions of generative AI: An exploratory online mixed methods survey in Germany. JMIR Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.2196/preprints.83017

PEPPPSY is a project at the Center for Health Services Research at the Brandenburg Medical School (MHB; duration: June 2021 - September 2026). PEPPPSY stands for "Piloting and Evaluation of a Participatory Patient Record in Psychiatry and Somatic Medicine." PEPPPSY is the first open notes pilot in psychiatric care in Germany. A second pilot has been offered at the University Outpatient Clinic for General Medicine at Witten/Herdecke University since 2019. PEPPPSY was and is being developed in collaboration with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU, Trondheim, Norway). Detailed project information can be found on the project website (www.pepppsy.de).

Study team:

Eva Meier-Diedrich, M.Sc. (Project Manager, Research Associate)

Jonas Wördemann (Student Assistant/PhD Candidate)

Justin Speck, B.Sc. (Student Assistant)

Mareike Weibezahl, MD (PhD student)

The study "Expert Report on the Possibilities of Reporting on Involuntary Admissions in Psychiatry, the Use of Coercive Measures, and the Circumstances Accompanying Them in the State of Brandenburg" (GBE-Psych-Bbg for short) is a project at the University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Immanuel Clinic Rüdersdorf, Brandenburg Medical School (duration: December 2022 – June 2023). The aim of the study is to investigate the possibilities for improving psychiatric reporting in the state of Brandenburg. Among other things, the reliability, validity, and availability of data on admissions in Brandenburg psychiatric hospitals will be analyzed in comparison to other federal states. In addition, recommendations for indicators to reduce and avoid admissions and coercive measures will be developed. The study is funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Integration, and Consumer Protection of the State of Brandenburg.

Study team:

Prof. Dr. Dr. Yuriy Ignatyev, MD (Research Associate)

Philip Kühntopp (Student Assistant)

Home Delivered Peer Led Treatment vs. Home Delivered Treatment

– A Randomized Controlled Multicentre Pilot Trial

This study was conducted in collaboration with the universities of Hamburg and Ulm.

Study team:

Lena-Sophie Pluschke, M.Sc. (Research Associate)

PEP.AGE is a project at the Center for Health Services Research at the Brandenburg Medical School (MHB; duration: July 2023 - June 2024) and is funded by the Center for Aging Research (ZFA-BB, MHB). PEP.AGE stands for "Piloting and Evaluation of a Participatory Digital Record for Geriatric Patients and Their Care Partners." The project is part of the PEPPPSY study, which is implementing and evaluating the first open notes pilot in psychiatric care in Germany. PEP.AGE investigates whether and how older patients and their care partners can use open notes.

Study team:

Eva Meier-Diedrich, M.Sc. (Research Associate)

Paper:

Meier-Diedrich, E., Dahling, V., Esch, T., Hägglund, M., Heinze, M., Hochwarter, S., ... & Schwarz, J. (2024). Piloting and evaluation of a participatory, digital record for geriatric psychiatric patients and their care partners. Neurology, 43(12), 681-687. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2357-5393

ShaRe is a project of the University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Brandenburg Medical School and the University of Witten/Herdecke (duration (June 2022 – May 2023). The study was funded by the American Commonwealth Fund.

ShaRe stands for "Psychiatrists' perceptions of the benefits and barriers associated with sharing electronic health records and clinical notes with psychiatric patients: A qualitative study." The project examines psychiatrists' perceived barriers to unrestricted patient access to EHRs, as well as the associated opportunities and potential risks.

Study team:

Lena-Sophie Pluschke, M.Sc. (Research Associate)

Paper:

Schwarz, J., Hoetger, C., Pluschke, L., Muehlensiepen, F., Schneider, M., Thoma, S., Esch, T. (2024). Psychiatrists’ perceptions of conditions and consequences associated with the implementation of open notes: qualitative investigation. BMC Psychiatry 24, 430. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05845-6 

ePA.Dove is a project at the Center for Health Services Research at the Brandenburg Medical School (MHB; duration: January 2024 - June 2025) and is funded by the MHB's Internal Research Funding. ePA.Dove stands for "Effects of a Participatory, Digital Patient Record on the Documentation Behavior of Physicians." The project is part of the PEPPPSY study, which is implementing and evaluating the first Open Notes pilot in psychiatric care in Germany. ePA.Dove investigates how physicians' documentation and documentation behavior change when they share their clinical notes with patients digitally.

Study team:

Eva Meier-Diedrich, M.Sc. (Project Manager, Research Associate)

EvAdoR stands for "Evaluation of the Adolescent Ward at Vitos Klinik Riedstadt." This process and outcome evaluation study is being conducted jointly by the University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Brandenburg Medical School and the Hannover Medical School (duration: January 2023 – April 2025). Module A uses qualitative methods to examine how patients, relatives, and staff experience and evaluate the adolescent ward (compared to standard care). Module B analyzes primary and routine data to determine service utilization and selected quality indicators, and to map the effectiveness of the adolescent ward compared to standard care.

Study team:

Lena-Sophie Pluschke, M.Sc. (Research Associate, Module A)

Dr. Jan Wolff, M.Sc. (Research Associate, Module B)

Elena Lindner (Student Assistant)