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 application with a web-based portal to deliver exposure therapy for anxiety disorders including OCD.
Anxiety Coach has three features that differentiate it from other mobile health programs for anxiety. First, the clinical content has a clear focus on exposure, the evidence-based core component of treatment. Second, the library of exposure hierarchies provides detailed guidance on how to plan and execute exposures. Finally, 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 application 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 application that can be used by decision makers to evaluate fidelity to best practices