The DIALOG app for Apple iOS iPad
Structuring routine meetings between patients and clinicians
in community mental health care
WHAT IS DIALOG?
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DIALOG is a computer-mediated intervention that structures the communication between patients and clinicians in the community mental health setting.
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The DIALOG app invites the patient to complete a brief assessment, rating their satisfaction on a scale of 1-7 with:
-mental health -physical health
-job situation -accommodation
-leisure activities -friendships
-relationship with partner/family
-personal safety -medication
-practical help received
-consultations with mental health professionals
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The app can be customised to include or not include an extra question for each topic asking "Do you need more help in this area?"
WHAT IS DIALOG+?
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DIALOG+ is an extension of the DIALOG intervention.
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Building on the basic DIALOG assessment, DIALOG+ allows the patient and the clinician to select areas in need of improvement and discuss them via a 4-step approach to problems based on Solution Focused Therapy.
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The 4 steps include:
-Understanding
-Looking forward
-Exploring options, and
-Agreeing on action
and are explained within the app.
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Actions to be taken before the next session can be recorded and reviewed at the beginning of the next session.
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Enable DIALOG+ by entering the DIALOG app settings.
WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE FOR DIALOG?
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DIALOG has been tested in an experiment called a 'randomised controlled trial' conducted in six European countries with over 100 clinicians and 500 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or a related disorder.
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It was found that patients who used DIALOG every two months over the course of a year had improved satisfaction with life, improved treatment satisfaction and fewer unmet needs.
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This research was published in 2007 in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE FOR DIALOG+?
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DIALOG+ is currently being tested in a further randomised controlled trial, this time taking place in the UK only - specifically, East London.
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We have already discovered that patients who used DIALOG+ once a month for six months showed improvements in quality of life and level of unmet needs after three months and also after six months.
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This research will be published shortly - watch this space!
ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW?
DIALOG and DIALOG+ are available on one 'DIALOG' app and are
free to use!
Apple iOS for iPad only.
Download DIALOG on the App Store today.
The DIALOG app was a joint collaboration between the Unit for Social & Community Psychiatry and the Department of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary, University of London. We are grateful to the East London NHS Foundation Trust - both staff and patients - for participating in the research. We are also grateful to the Research Directorate of the European Commission and the National Institute for Health Research for funding the DIALOG and DIALOG+ studies, respectively.
