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Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research

Published in:

01-03-2015 | Original Article

Strategies for mHealth Research: Lessons from 3 Mobile Intervention Studies

Authors: Dror Ben-Zeev, Stephen M. Schueller, Mark Begale, Jennifer Duffecy, John M. Kane, David C. Mohr

Published in: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research | Issue 2/2015

Abstract

The capacity of Mobile Health (mHealth) technologies to propel healthcare forward is directly linked to the quality of mobile interventions developed through careful mHealth research. mHealth research entails several unique characteristics, including collaboration with technologists at all phases of a project, reliance on regional telecommunication infrastructure and commercial mobile service providers, and deployment and evaluation of interventions “in the wild”, with participants using mobile tools in uncontrolled environments. In the current paper, we summarize the lessons our multi-institutional/multi-disciplinary team has learned conducting a range of mHealth projects using mobile phones with diverse clinical populations. First, we describe three ongoing projects that we draw from to illustrate throughout the paper. We then provide an example for multidisciplinary teamwork and conceptual mHealth intervention development that we found to be particularly useful. Finally, we discuss mHealth research challenges (i.e. evolving technology, mobile phone selection, user characteristics, the deployment environment, and mHealth system “bugs and glitches”), and provide recommendations for identifying and resolving barriers, or preventing their occurrence altogether.

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Title: Strategies for mHealth Research: Lessons from 3 Mobile Intervention Studies
Authors: Dror Ben-Zeev
Stephen M. Schueller
Mark Begale
Jennifer Duffecy
John M. Kane
David C. Mohr
Publication date: 01-03-2015
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research / Issue 2/2015
Print ISSN: 0894-587X
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3289
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-014-0556-2

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Strategies for mHealth Research: Lessons from 3 Mobile Intervention Studies

Abstract

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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