Call for developers to test new assessment criteria for digitally enabled therapies
Topic : News and Press Type : Press Release
ABHI is working with MedCity and NHS England / NHS Improvement’s national IAPT team on the development of assessment criteria for digitally enabled therapy products.
Digitally enabled therapy (DET) is therapy content delivered online or through mobile applications, allowing learning to be achieved through patient self-study, which is then reinforced and supported by trained therapists. To be considered as a DET within IAPT, the product must be designed to treat one of the clinical conditions treated by IAPT service providers. The criteria will work in conjunction with NHSX’s Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) to validate products suitability for use within IAPT services. The intention of this model is to:
- Support IAPT commissioners and providers to procure DET products with confidence
- Support digital developers to design and deliver high-quality DET products for IAPT services
- Promote the use of high-quality DET products and encourage digital innovation within IAPT
The assessment criteria focuses on three areas:
- Core assessment – including looking at the condition/s it treats, that it delivers a NICE -recommended therapeutic intervention and is designed to be used in IAPT services with therapist assistance
- Clinical content assessment – developed to ensure that products used within IAPT services meet the IAPT principles of providing evidence-based treatment
- Self-reported criteria – to indicate the capabilities of products that are desirable within IAPT DETs
We are looking to engage with DET developers who have been through, or are ready to go through the DTAC framework, to provide feedback on the proposed assessment model and discuss their experience of entering the NHS market.
Feedback would be invaluable in developing the criteria so that it works for everyone and for us to fully understand the DET landscape.
If you are interested, please email sarahbrucewhite@medcityhq.com
About IAPT
The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme began in 2008 and has transformed the treatment of adult anxiety disorders and depression in England. IAPT is widely-recognised as the most ambitious programme of talking therapies in the world and in the past year alone more than one million people accessed IAPT services for help to overcome their depression and anxiety, and better manage their mental health.