Ecological Momentary Assessment Using Smartphones in Patients With Depression: Feasibility Study (Preprint)

Abstract

UNSTRUCTURED Background: Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is a promising tool in the management of psychiatric disorders and particularly depression; it allows for a real-time evaluation of symptoms and an earlier detection of relapse or efficiency of the treatment associated. The generalization of the smartphone in modern societies also offers a new large-scale support for EMA. Objective: The present study aims to evaluate the feasibility in terms of compliance as well as graphic rendering and user experience of an EMA with patients suffering from unipolar depression. Method: Eleven patients at La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital were followed during 28 days with the help of a smartphone application installed on the patient’s personal smartphones. The results of the real-time collected data were reviewed during three follow-up consultations, by a psychiatrist interacting with the patient, on a “dashboard” aggregating all the patient’s data in a user-friendly manner. Results: Seven patients out of eleven have followed the protocol for its total length of time. Two patients continue to fill in the questionnaires without showing for the consultation which suggests that EMA is easy to use with a good compliance. The global response rate to the questionnaires was 58% with an average follow-up duration of 21 days out of 28 days in total. In light of the results in terms of graphic rendering and patient’s satisfaction, we strongly believe that EMA should be the focus on follow-up and early intervention studies.