Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has begun to provide patients with a mobile app to support their mental health.
Named the Mood Diary App it was developed by care software provider Servelec and mobile workforce software firm TotalMobile.
It includes a mood recording function that helps patients track their feelings through a series of faces with different expressions, and interventions they may try to alleviate a low mood. It also gives them access to an agreed safety plan, planned crisis provision and emergency contacts.
All of the data entered is automatically stored as part of the patient’s clinical record in Servelec’s Rio electronic patient record (EPR) system. It is also encrypted on the device so if it is lost or stolen it is not accessible to anyone else.
Need for support
Bill Johnston, head of digital transformation at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Making sure people have access to safety plans and emergency contacts is crucial to those people suffering from mental health conditions, especially in crisis, and was an area of support we wanted to improve.
“We listened to our patients’ requests to have an alternative to paper plans and to have access via their mobile phone. There was nothing on the market to support us so we engaged with our EPR vendor, Servelec, to see how they could help.
“Following an iterative design process, patient and clinical reviews, the Mood Diary was formed. We are very excited about the potential for this new app to revolutionise how we collaboratively plan safe care and provide modern methods of support to our patients.”
Servelec’s managing director of healthcare Steve Wightman said the app should also help the trust carry out dynamic analysis of information.
Image from Servelec
