STTR Phase I: Implementation of a Biometric Data Software Platform to Augment Mental Health Treatment

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)project is to improve outcomes and decrease costs in the mental health space by engagingpatients starting with their first therapy session through objective progress reporting andpost-session motivation. Patients and clinicians alike will be able to track and assess treatmentprogress through self-reported and physiological measures. This innovation builds upon thestrong academic, government, and industry partnerships that will advance research andinnovation in the field of biotechnology. By demonstrating improved outcomes and decreasedcosts associated with the utilization of technology, this will pave the way for insurancereimbursement (using existing CPT codes) to accelerate market adoption. Additionally, aseducation of patients and the public improves regarding mental health and PTSD in particular,the negative stigma surrounding these conditions will decrease and more people in need willseek help rather than resorting to unhealthy behavior or even suicide.This STTR Phase I project proposes to represent an innovative approach that provides easy tointerpret results tailored to mental health providers, patients, and other non-technical users.Current mental health treatment and assessment has lacked qualitative, scientifically-basedmeasurement. The need for a scientific measurement is evident, as about 8 percent of alladults - 1 of 13 people in this country will develop PTSD during their lifetime. Currently, 60%of adults diagnosed with a mental illness don't receive mental health treatment; using provenscience and physiologic measurements as the foundation for improving treatment andmonitoring progress for PTSD can help to alleviate some of the stigma surrounding mentalillnesses. This project aims to demonstrate how implementing a web-based platform canimprove PTSD treatment by providing physiologically relevant feedback to the patient and byproviding a tool for the clinician to tailor the therapy to the individual patient. Patients will havetheir subjective measures and physiological data visualized throughout treatment on a softwareplatform, with progress being tracked through validated assessment scales. Patients will becompared to others in treatment as usual. Results should yield improved quality of life anddecrease long term healthcare costs for those that use the platform.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.