Increasing Treatment Access Through Technology

Mayo Clinic Anxiety Coach will serve as the foundation for the interactive treatment tools. This program integrates a mobile device app with a web-based portal to deliver exposure therapy for anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Anxiety Coach has three features that differentiate it from other mobile health programs for anxiety:

• The clinical content has a clear focus on exposure, the evidence-based core component of treatment.
• The library of exposure hierarchies provides detailed guidance on how to plan and execute exposures.
• Creation of a unique fear hierarchy provides interactivity and personally relevant content to foster retention.

An initial pilot study demonstrated that an integrated mobile device and web-based app successfully:

• Captures the therapeutic activities of therapists with expertise in childhood anxiety disorders.
• Facilitates more efficient delivery of exposure therapy by replacing paper-and-pencil activities with interactive technology.
• Generates data based on clinician and patient use of the app that can be used by decision-makers to evaluate fidelity to best practices.