News
December 2025
Digital Navigators in Mental Health: American, Canadian, and German Perspectives on Training, Implementation, and Impact
On December 11, 2025, the 9th annual conference on “Technology in Psychiatry” will take place. Our working group will be represented there by research assistant Laura Uchtmann, M.Sc.
This symposium highlights the emerging role of Digital Navigators in mental health, supported by international perspectives from the US, Canada, and Germany. These roles help bridge clinical care and technology, improving patient engagement, digital literacy, and treatment outcomes across various mental health settings.
October 2025
Digital Navigator Study in Toronto
Dr. Julian Schwarz and Eva Meier-Diedrich are currently conducting research with Dr. Gillian Strudwick at the University of Toronto and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
During their stay, they are learning about the research conducted by Dr. Strudwick's working group and providing insights into the study results of the IAG Mental Health Policy and Digitization at the Brandenburg Medical School.
On the second page of the newsletter, you can see Eva Meier-Diedrich and Julian Schwarz briefly presenting the project.
DigiNavi study in the German Medical Journal
The 20/2025 issue of the German Medical Journal dated October 3 presents the DigiNavi study conducted by our working group.
The study examines how digital navigators can support patients with mental illnesses in the use of digital health applications (DiGAs).
In the project, six medical assistants from general practices and psychiatric outpatient clinics in Brandenburg were trained as digital navigators. They closely and continuously support patients in their use of DiGAs for mental health.
In a short interview, two MFAs who participated in the DigiNavi study as digital navigators were interviewed. They report on their experiences and explain how DiGAs and digital navigators can complement the care of people with mental illness.
The full article can be read in the German Medical Journal:
Further information on the DigiNavi study can be found on the following websites:
September 2025
24th German Congress for Health Services Research in Hamburg
Several members of our working group participated in the German Health Services Research Congress in Hamburg from September 22nd to 24th. Our research associate Eva Meier-Diedrich, M.Sc., made an important contribution to the working group with her presentation of the abstract "Experiences of older psychiatric patients and their relatives using a proxy access to open notes: Qualitative study" in the session "Care for older people."
If you are interested in further information, you can visit the DNFV website.
Our working group spokesperson, PD Dr. Julian Schwarz, was also present. Several presentations were given in the sessions "AI in Health Services Research," "Knowledge on the Path to Practice," and "Meeting of the Mental Health Working Group." The abstracts presented were "Digital Navigators for Acceptance and Competence Development with Digital Health Applications (DiGAs) in the Area of Mental Health in Outpatient Care (DigiNavi)," "Changes in Documentation Due to Patient-Side Access to the EHR: Scoping Review," and "AI-Based Errors in the Creation of Patient-Centered Documentation: Mixed-Methods Analysis from the Perspective of Psychiatrists."
If you are interested in further information, please visit the DNVF website.
