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Decision making

Can a phone app help people with schizophrenia join treatment decisions?

Vitger T, Hjorthøj C, Austin SF, et al. · Journal of medical Internet research · 2022

Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC

In 194 Danish outpatients, 6 months of a shared-decision-making app plus usual care improved patient activation (d = 0.33), communication confidence, and feeling prepared to decide, but not symptoms, hope, or admissions.

Study at a glance

Design
RCT — Assessor-blinded 2-arm parallel multicenter RCT (Momentum): 6-month smartphone SDM app plus TAU vs TAU; 1:1 block randomization
N
N=194 · 194 participants with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders from 9 outpatient sites
Population
Outpatients with schizophrenia, schizotypal, or delusional disorder in the Capital Region of Denmark
Outcome
Primary: self-reported patient activation post-intervention; secondary: communication confidence, decision preparedness, symptoms, functioning, admissions

Structured fields used in claim comparison tables when every cited study has a complete layer.

Key findings

ITT showed higher activation (mean difference 4.39, 95% CI 0.99–7.79; d = 0.33; P = .01), communication confidence (d = 0.24), and decision preparedness (d = 0.27). No effects on satisfaction, hope, self-efficacy, alliance, symptoms, functioning, antipsychotics, or admissions.

Methodology

Ran an assessor-blinded 2-arm multicenter RCT at 9 Capital Region outpatient sites. 194 people with schizophrenia, schizotypal, or delusional disorder were randomized 1:1 to TAU plus the Momentum app or TAU minus app for 6 months. Primary outcome was self-reported activation (ITT).

Limitations

A 6-month outpatient RCT cannot show that the app reduces relapse or works without usual care, and effects on symptoms were null.

How this study connects

Role on claims

Each row is a claim on a concept or method page where this paper supports, challenges, or qualifies the statement. Roles are hand-checked — not a model guess.

  • SupportsmHealthconcept

    A 6-month shared-decision-making app raised activation in schizophrenia care, not symptoms or admissions.

    In 194 Danish outpatients, 6 months of an SDM app plus usual care improved patient activation (mean difference 4.39; d=0.33), communication confidence, and decision preparedness, with no effects on symptoms, hope, or admissions.

    Evidence for the claim as stated.

  • SupportsmHealthconcept

    StudiCare’s college waitlist stress effects, MoodGYM’s adult well-being RCT, a 2-week GPS/PHQ-9 sensor study, and a schizophrenia SDM activation trial are all digital mental-health papers, not one pooled app effect.

    Evidence for the claim as stated.

Open questions

Tensions this paper is part of

From concept pages' “where studies disagree.” Disagreement means the same question; scope means different assays, populations, or outcomes.

History

When this study was placed

Dated entries from the concept change log — when this paper was added or removed as support, challenge, or qualifier on a claim.

  1. 2026-09-18

    Placed as supporting evidence on mHealth

    In 194 Danish outpatients, 6 months of an SDM app plus usual care improved patient activation (mean difference 4.39; d=0.33), communication confidence, and decision preparedness, with no effects on symptoms, hope, or admissions.

  2. 2026-09-18

    Placed as supporting evidence on mHealth

    StudiCare’s college waitlist stress effects, MoodGYM’s adult well-being RCT, a 2-week GPS/PHQ-9 sensor study, and a schizophrenia SDM activation trial are all digital mental-health papers, not one pooled app effect.

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