CareLoop: a mobile phone system for monitoring mental health and supporting self-management
It’s common for service users with severe mental health problems to experience a range of distressing symptoms, which can change depending on levels of stress and a range of things. When these symptoms become worse it’s often hard to monitor them, it can be difficult to access help, and sometimes results in you having to go into hospital.
This study is seeing whether you can monitor your mental health through the use of telephones. Normally you would see a doctor, nurse or other health professional every few weeks and they would ask you questions about how you are feeling. This means sometimes things are forgotten. It is hoped that with a telephone system symptoms are recorded as they are happening (like a living diary). This might it easier to discuss your thoughts and feelings with health care workers; it might also mean that when you are becoming unwell more support could be provided to stop you going into hospital. As part of the study service users will be provided with a mobile phone in order to test how the system works. Whilst they are using the phone system they would receive their normal care, which would not change. The project will allow researchers to see whether this type of monitoring by telephones is acceptable to service users and mental health workers. All information entered on the phone would be password protected and confidential. Service users will be asked about how they found using the phone based system in individual interviews.
For further information about the proposed project please contact:
Caroline Sanders
Research Fellow
Health Sciences Research Group (Primary Care)
University of Manchester
5th Floor, Williamson Building,
Oxford Road,
Manchester M13 9PL
Tel: 0161 275 7619
Email: caroline.sanders@manchester.ac.uk
It’s common for service users with severe mental health problems to experience a range of distressing symptoms, which can change depending on levels of stress and a range of things. When these symptoms become worse it’s often hard to monitor them, it can be difficult to access help, and sometimes results in you having to go into hospital.
This study is seeing whether you can monitor your mental health through the use of telephones. Normally you would see a doctor, nurse or other health professional every few weeks and they would ask you questions about how you are feeling. This means sometimes things are forgotten. It is hoped that with a telephone system symptoms are recorded as they are happening (like a living diary). This might it easier to discuss your thoughts and feelings with health care workers; it might also mean that when you are becoming unwell more support could be provided to stop you going into hospital. As part of the study service users will be provided with a mobile phone in order to test how the system works. Whilst they are using the phone system they would receive their normal care, which would not change. The project will allow researchers to see whether this type of monitoring by telephones is acceptable to service users and mental health workers. All information entered on the phone would be password protected and confidential. Service users will be asked about how they found using the phone based system in individual interviews.
For further information about the proposed project please contact:
Caroline Sanders
Research Fellow
Health Sciences Research Group (Primary Care)
University of Manchester
5th Floor, Williamson Building,
Oxford Road,
Manchester M13 9PL
Tel: 0161 275 7619
Email: caroline.sanders@manchester.ac.uk
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