TRAINING PROGRAM FOR ENHANCING THE ADOPTION OF MOBILE HEALTH BY PERSONS WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

<< Background >>Mental health in the EU has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression, in particular due to limited access to healthcare. Against this backdrop, mobile health (mHealth) has proven to be an effective solution, enabling affected people to monitor their condition, receive support and become more independent. 29% of mHealth apps and devices are dedicated to mental health. However, mHealth use remains low due to lack of awareness, low digital literacy and reluctance to privacy. A needs analysis highlighted their need for improved knowledge, skills and attitudes towards mHealth self-management using technology and mobile apps, access to tailored learning methodology, support for caregivers who need knowledge and tools to support them in turn, and training for professionals in the field. To meet these needs, a partnership was created and customized solutions tailored to the target groups - people with mental health problems, carers and professionals in the field- were developed.<< Objectives >>The project was implemented with the aim to increase the competencies of people with mental health problems to improve their self-management by adopting mobile health (mHealth) solutions by: Developing an experiential training methodology to increase the awareness and skills of people with mental health problems on mHealth; developing a set of training resources for trainers to improve the implementation of the training methodology; developing a set of training materials for participants to improve their successful engagement in the training process and skills acquisition; Develop a digital training tool to improve the implementation of the training methodology; implement pilot training actions to validate the quality of the training program and its capacity to increase competences in improving their self-management skills through the adoption of mHealth solutions and raise awareness of related stakeholders at national and EU level on the potential of mHealth use.<< Implementation >>1. Development of an experiential training methodology for people with mental health problems, which included preparation and implementation of co-design sessions with end-users. 2. Development of a training package , which included the development of a trainer's guide, the creation of a protocol for the development of training materials, the development of training materials for people with mental health problems, pilot validation actions with end-users and a training of trainers.3. Development of a digital training tool, which included the creation of technical specifications, development of a beta version and review with end-users, production of the final digital training tool, a training of trainers and validation of the digital training tool with end-users - persons with mental health problems and professionals in the field.4. Dissemination, promotion and sustainability activities, which included the elaboration of a dissemination plan, communication materials, creation of a project website, dissemination actions, organization of 6 multiplication events in Romania, Slovenia, Germany, Spain, and Lithuania and elaboration of a sustainability plan.<< Results >>The project generated several concrete results. An experiential training methodology was developed, including six practical activities to improve self-management and use of mHealth solutions by people with mental health problems. A protocol was created for the development of training materials, providing standardized resources for trainers, as well as a complete training package, with a manual for trainers and user accessible materials.An innovative digital training tool was designed to support users in creating personalized self-management plans and using mHealth applications. These resources were tested through a pilot program involving 114 people with mental health problems and 23 professionals. In the dissemination process, 167 mental health professionals were informed and more than 70% of them increased their interest in adopting the methodology. In total, around 16.000 people were informed about digital solutions for mental health, helping to increase awareness and adoption of mHealth technologies.