Heleen Riper is a professor and researcher in e-mental health at the VU University of Amsterdam and at the University of Denmark. She is also involved in ehealth research at the Leuphana University in Germany. Heleen is considered to be one of the pioneers of ehealth in the Netherlands. If you are keen to know more about Heleen’s research, take a look at some of her publications. Also, see part 1 of the interview series with Heleen Riper, where she talks about that the evidence of ehealth is abundant.
Heleen Riper on the effectiveness of ehealth
We were very excited to hear Heleen's experience of studying ehealth for the past 15 years. In part 2 (out of 3) in the interview series, Heleen Riper talks about the effectiveness of ehealth. She talks about ehealth research and studies that demonstrate ample evidence that online therapy can be just as effective as face-to-face therapy.
Optimising the effectiveness of ehealth
It's very important to ensure that the online therapy you’re providing lives up to the highest standards. One way to approach effectiveness in ehealth provision is by regularly cooperating with experts in the field, such as mental health professionals, other health professionals and patients. The use of such expert panels can help scoping out the needs of patients and clinicans, ensuring that services contribute in the best way possible to improve healthcare. Another way of ensuring effectiveness is to stay up to date with the latest developments and guidelines in mental healthcare provision. For instance, an organisation can develop modules in line with NICE guidelines, as well as making sure that they are IAPT compliant and compatible. In addition, it's crucial that the online application is user friendly, both for patient and therapist.
The Minddistrict platform is formed with all these points in mind. We make sure that our platform and treatment modules are updated regularly to guarantee their relevance to the current treatment practice. As a result, Minddistrict can ensure that the platform is effective and can be seamlessly implemented in clinical practice.
Almost ready to launch... Reviewed 3 new modules with the expert panel #iapt #onlinetherapy #workinprogress pic.twitter.com/Vbria5RbmG
— Minddistrict UK (@Minddistrict) November 10, 2015
Get in touch
Would you like to explore the possibilities of ehealth? Do you have any questions on how to implement ehealth in clinical practice? Contact us at info@minddistrict.com, or follow us on twitter.