Digitally enabled therapies for adults with depression: early value assessment

The companies should provide training for staff to support use of the technologies.

Practitioners and therapists need time for training and supervision, and to get a thorough understanding of the digital content. They also need time to support people accessing the technologies and to review their progress.

The technologies may not be suitable for everyone, for example those without access to, or who cannot use, a smartphone or computer.

The evidence generation process is most likely to succeed with dedicated research staff to reduce the burden on NHS staff.

Collecting data that is not routinely collected in NHS Talking Therapies services would need ethics approval, consent, additional staff, a separate IT system and time for sufficient follow up. Collecting this data might be more feasible as part of a randomised controlled trial because it would be collected only from a subgroup of people having treatment in NHS Talking Therapies services.

Evidence generation should be overseen by a steering group including researchers, commissioners, practitioners and representatives with lived experience.

The contributing services or centres should be chosen to maximise the generalisability of evidence generated, for example including groups of people with different socioeconomic status, or to improve data collection for any relevant subgroups.

Careful planning of approaches to information governance is vital.

The companies may improve their chances of securing funding by also collecting data on outcomes relevant to other national organisations, for example, work and productivity outcomes.