Optimising the depression pathway enabled by novel digital assessment technology

“抑郁症是当今英国导致残疾的主要原因，在任何时候都有超过100万人寻求或接受治疗。然而，对于患者来说，找到正确的治疗可能很困难，特别是在他们生命中最脆弱的时候。对于许多患者来说，即使是有效的治疗也可能需要几周甚至几个月的时间才能奏效，而且很难在康复期间找到支持。许多患者向他们的全科医生寻求帮助，但可能不得不等待一段时间，才能被认为是非紧急的预约。此外，全科医生提供的评估和治疗在全国各地差异很大，护理质量关键取决于是否有具备心理健康状况专业知识的全科医生。我们的目标是通过实施创新的数字技术，使医疗保健专业人员能够比现有方法更好地诊断心理健康问题，并让患者更快地接受正确的治疗，从而显著改善情绪低落和抑郁症的治疗。该项目将评估一种优化的抑郁症路径，以改善情绪低落和抑郁症患者的选择和获得高质量护理的机会。我们将通过地方健康中心实施系统的方法来治疗抑郁症，通过创新的数字技术支持，提供可以接触到经过专业培训的一系列医疗专业人员的“无需预约”的服务。我们的项目将全科医生、医疗保健专业人员和慈善机构聚集在一个地方，目的是快速确定对每个患者最合适的治疗方法。通过数字技术实现的早期干预和监测旨在通过确保如果症状升级，患者可以更快高效地切换到更好的治疗来改善结果。这种数字化的精准医疗方法将减少转诊到稀缺的二级和危机护理服务的需要，并腾出时间让全科医生专注于最严重的病例。最初，这一创新计划将在肯特郡选定的全科医生实践中实施、评估和完善。这项工作的关键是患者的参与，以确保他们在寻求抑郁症帮助时面临的现有关切和问题得到解决。这种患者的参与得到了Mind的支持，Mind是一家专门为有精神健康问题的人提供支持的慈善机构。通过这一优化的抑郁途径，在数字技术的支持下，我们将围绕患者提供护理，使他们更快地恢复健康，从而使他们能够回到他们渴望的健康、富有成效的生活中。“

"Depression is the leading cause of disability in the UK today with over a million people seeking or receiving treatment at any one time. However, for patients, finding the right treatment can be difficult particularly at a vulnerable time in their lives. For many patients even effective treatment can take weeks and often months to work, and support during recovery can be hard to find. Many patients seek help from their GPs, but may have to wait some time for what can be perceived as a non-urgent appointment. Moreover, the assessment and treatment provided by GP practices varies widely across the country and the quality of care critically depends on the availability of GPs with specialist knowledge of mental health conditions. We aim to significantly improve the treatment of low mood and depression by implementing innovative digital technologies that empower healthcare professionals to better diagnose mental health problems and get patients on to the right treatment sooner than existing methods. The project will assess an optimised depression pathway to improve choice and access to quality care for people with low mood and depression. We will implement a systematic approach to the treatment of depression through local health centres providing a 'walk-in' service with access to a range of healthcare professionals with specialist training and supported by innovative digital technology. Our project brings together GPs, healthcare professionals and charities in one place with the aim of quickly identifying the most appropriate treatment for each patient. Early intervention and monitoring enabled by digital technology is designed to improve outcomes by ensuring that if symptoms escalate, patients can be efficiently and effectively switched to better treatments sooner. This digitally enabled precision medicine approach will reduce the need for referrals to scarce secondary and crisis care services and free up time for GPs to focus on the most severe cases.Initially, this innovative program will be implemented, evaluated and refined in selected GP practices in Kent. Critical to this work is the involvement of patients to ensure that existing concerns and problems faced by them when seeking help with depression are addressed. Such patient involvement is supported by MIND, a charity specialising in supporting people with mental health conditions. Through this optimised depression pathway, enabled by digital technologies we will wrap care around the patient returning them to good health sooner, thereby enabling them to return to the healthy, productive lives they desire."