7 Ways Technology Can Improve Patient Outcomes

How would you feel if your sessions with patients were recorded, your words and exchanges then analyzed by AI to assess efficacy? The UK-based company Ieso is doing just that, using natural language processing to help therapists improve quality of care.

Their goal is to use technology to shed light on what has until now remained somewhat of a mystery: why do some treatments work for some patients and not others?

Ieso is just one of a number of companies leveraging technology to optimize patient outcomes.

Interested in how you can use technology to improve outcomes for your patients? Here are 7 ways you can put technology to work for your practice:

1. Accessibility: Eighty percent of therapists now offer telehealth as a convenient and effective alternative to in-person sessions. The shift to on-screen appointments has effectively removed geographical and logistical barriers that once prevented patients from accessing mental health care. With 39 states now participating in PSYPACT, you can use telehealth to provide specialized services across state lines, improving outcomes for patients living in remote areas.

2. Data Analytics: AI is increasingly used to identify patient risk factors and predict outcomes. A recent review found that AI accurately identified mental illness using data from EHRs, social media, brain imaging, and self-reports. AI is also being used to predict which patients will respond to CBT, potentially reducing the need for prescription medication. You can use data analytics to track patient progress and monitor treatment compliance. Platforms like Simple Practice and Therapy Notes include analytics for monitoring progress, and EHR systems like Kipu EMR track compliance metrics.

3. Personalization of Care: With data analytics comes the ability to personalize patient care. Not only can you use patient risk factors to inform treatment planning, but apps like My Outcomes alert you to potential regressions or treatment plateaus so you can adjust your approach accordingly.

4. Patient Engagement: Research indicates that patient engagement is essential to positive treatment outcomes. Technology can increase patient engagement by offering your patients ways to connect between sessions. For example, platforms like Therachat allow you to share homework assignments and communicate with patients via HIPAA-compliant messaging. Apps like Daylio empower patients to track their moods, activities, and habits, generating reports that help both patients and therapists understand emotional patterns and triggers.

5. Assessments: Many online practice management platforms include access to empirically validated assessment tools like the PHQ-9 or GAD-7 for monitoring patients’ symptoms. In addition, PsychologyTools.com offers a variety of scales and measures to track progress, assess skills and strengths, and aid in diagnosis. And apps like Woebot and Wysa use AI to assess patient well-being and provide personalized self-help resources.

6. Coordination of care: Technology has changed how therapists coordinate care with other providers. The widespread use of EHRs allows clinicians in different disciplines and locations to access patient data necessary for continuity of care. Secure messaging platforms facilitate the efficient and confidential sharing of information between providers. And platforms like Belongly allow therapists across the country to collaborate with one another, provide mutual support, and give and receive referrals.

7. The Future of AI– Virtual Reality and Wearable Devices:

Virtual reality (VR) is used to create immersive environments to help patients with OCD and PTSD confront triggers in a safe, controlled space. Patients can also use VR for guided stress reduction or social skills training.

Wearable devices use physiological data to monitor patients’ emotional states. For example, the Apollo wearable records heart rate variability associated with stress. It then sends silent vibrations to help users self-regulate. Other wearables track physiological changes associated with substance abuse and medication noncompliance. Therapists may soon be able to use data from these devices to identify the behaviors that affect patients’ psychological well-being.