Web-based Health Management of Depression for Seniors

描述(由申请人提供)：在这份SBIR申请中，我们建议为患有临床抑郁症的老年患者创建一个基于网络的健康管理工具。临床抑郁症很常见，诊断不足，治疗不力。传统的解决方案需要卫生保健提供者采取更多行动，但当今医学的现实限制了潜在的影响。我们建议开发一种新的和赋权的健康管理解决方案，其中患者和他们的照顾者形成一个整合的抑郁症治疗模式的中心点。我们建议建立一个网站Senior.DepressionClinic.com，帮助用户1)澄清某一组症状的含义，2)更好地了解其严重性，3)做出寻求治疗的决定，4)寻找专业资源进行评估和帮助。在患者的医生诊断出抑郁症后，该网站将帮助用户：5)了解可用的治疗方法并参与治疗计划过程，6)跟踪症状随时间的变化、副作用和药物变化，7)生成报告以帮助提供者和其他人了解过去的治疗成功和失败，以及8)从治疗的心理社会因素中受益，包括沟通选项和组织工具。第一阶段将创建网站的原型，评估其对目标受众的可用性，评估过程结果，并衡量网站对知识和自我效能的影响。第二阶段将完成该网站与缺乏Senior.DepressionClinic.com提供的互动工具的抑郁症教育网站的试用。两项不同的研究将被用来评估对知识、自我效能、行为、抑郁症状、生活满意度以及过程结果的影响。使用社区人群，我们将评估该软件改变求医行为的能力。使用一组被诊断为抑郁症的受试者，我们将评估对行为的影响，如遵守和与提供者的沟通。Senior.DepressionClinic.com的设计将使类似的方法可以很容易地用于创建其他疾病的网站。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In this SBIR application we propose to create a web-based health management tool for older adult patients suffering from clinical depression. Clinical depression is common, underdiagnosed and poorly treated. Traditional solutions require increased action on the part of health care providers, yet the realities of present day medicine limit the potential impact. We propose to develop a novel and empowering health management solution where patients and their caregivers form the central point for an integrated depression treatment model. We propose a website, Senior.DepressionClinic.com that helps users to, 1) clarify the meaning of a certain cluster of symptoms, 2) better understand its severity, 3) make the decision to seek treatment, and 4) find professional resources for evaluation and assistance. After the diagnosis of depression is made by the patient's physician, the website will help the user: 5) understand available treatments and participate in the treatment planning process, 6) track symptom changes over time, side effects, and medication changes, 7) produce reports to assist providers and others in understanding past treatment success and failure, and 8) benefit from psychosocial components of treatment including communication options and organizational tools. Phase I will create a prototype of the web site, assess its usability for the intended audience, assess process outcomes, and measure effect of the website on knowledge and self-efficacy. Phase II will complete a trial of the website versus a depression education website that lacks the interactive tools provided in Senior.DepressionClinic.com. Two different studies will be used to assess impact on knowledge, self-efficacy, behavior, depression symptoms, and satisfaction with life as well as process outcomes. Using a community population we will assess ability of the software to alter treatment seeking behaviors. Using a population of subjects diagnosed with depression, we will assess impact on behaviors such as adherence and communication with the provider. Senior.DepressionClinic.com will be designed so that a similar methodology can be easily used to create websites for other illnesses.