The Danish Centre for Telepsychiatry adopts Karify’s eHealth platform

Telepsychiatry addiction

We are happy to announce that since February 2018, the centre is live and has been actively using Karify in their alcohol addiction program. The centre cooperates closely with nearby municipalities, GPs, and hospitals to treat citizens with psychiatric/mental disorders.

The Centre for Telepsychiatry aims to combine psychiatry and mental health with technology. It is one of the most advanced in the field of eHealth in all of Denmark. Besides being part of a national telemedicine initiative, it is a leading centre in terms of offering research, knowledge, and resources for eHealth, on a regional and national level.

Telepsychiatry and eHealth are seen as a facilitator in modern healthcare by the centre. By using digital means to enhance diagnosis, treatments, and monitoring of individuals with psychiatric disorders the quality of care and organization are tremendously improved.

We talked with the team leader, Marie Paldam Folker, of the Centre for Telepsychiatry of the region of southern Denmark to discuss Karify and latest eHealth developments:

Why did you choose Karify’s platform?

“We chose the Karify platform because of your partnership with Jellinek. Jellinek has offered blended alcohol treatment since 2011 and their treatment results are impressive. In Denmark blended treatment has not yet been tried out or tested, so we decided to embark on a collaboration with Jellinek who has the treatment experience and Karify who deliver the IT platform for blended treatment.”

What is, according to you, the added value of Telepsychiatry/eHealth?

“I see several advantages in the provision of blended treatment, combining face-to-face sessions and internet-based sessions:

  • Internet-based sessions can be carried out whenever it suits the patient;
  • Fewer face-to-face sessions make it easier for the patient to comply with treatment;
  • Blended care allows the therapist to give continuous feedback to the patient and help the patient to stay on track;
  • The possibility to work on their own between sessions encourages patients trust in their own abilities to self-manage their addiction and may in itself strengthen patient empowerment and finally;
  • Blended care may be a strong tool to secure therapist fidelity to evidence-based interventions”

 

How do clients of the Centre for Telepsychiatry encounter Karify during the intake process?

“Therapists introduce clients to the Karify platform during their first consultation. They use the platform in the face-to-face sessions and after 4-5 face-to-face meetings clients can choose whether they want to work on their own using Karify or whether they prefer to meet in person.”

What could be the biggest challenge of implementing the platform/eHealth in your opinion?

“Blended treatment is a new way of working in Danish alcohol treatment. The biggest challenge is adapting workflows to blended treatment, integrating the platform into daily routines. Also, Danish therapists are not used to providing written feedback to clients. This requires training and continuous effort – and time. It is also a challenge to recruit clients for this type of treatment.”