Design and development process of patient-centered computer-based support system for patients with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness requiring self-management skills and information about the illness, its treatment, and where to get help with daily routines. Despite the systematic development of computer-based approaches in mental health, less systematic development of such methods can be found for patients with schizophrenia or psychosis. OBJECTIVE: The aim is to describe the design and development process of patient-centered computer-based support system (Mieli.Net portal) for patients with schizophrenia spectrum psychoses. METHODS: The process with a mixed methods approach includes four phases: analysis of users' needs, development of key patient information areas, development of a software prototype and to pilot the portal, and user evaluation by health care staff. RESULTS: The computer-based patient support system is a promising health-promoting service to schizophrenic patients. It is important, that users of technology are involved in the development process, which will ensure that sites are user-friendly, information can be personalized, and mental patients' voices are heard in the development of patient education. CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness needs to be evaluated carefully in future clinical trials. This will offer valuable information for policymakers, organizations and health care practitioners about the usability of web-based patient education in the area of mental health care.