Affiliation:
1. Department of Psychiatry Western Sydney Local Health District Westmead New South Wales Australia
2. Specialty of Psychiatry, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
3. Brain Dynamics Centre Westmead Institute for Medical Research Westmead New South Wales Australia
Abstract
AbstractObjectiveThis case series explored the integration of smartwatches in a community mental health service to support severe mental illness (SMI) management and intervention. We examined whether biometric data provided by smartwatches could help to predict relapse and inform treatment decisions.MethodFour Australian SMI outpatients of mixed diagnoses (age range = 19–24) were selected from a prior study. Clinicians accessed patients' biometric data (activity, sleep, heart rate, and electrodermal activity) through smartwatches.ResultsChanges in circadian rhythm and electrodermal activity preceded hospitalization in two cases. Additionally, smartwatch data was effectively used to guide targeted interventions, improving patient treatment outcomes.ConclusionIntegrating smartwatches in community mental health services offers promise as adjunct tools for SMI management. However, ethical considerations on data privacy and technology reliance require further evaluation. Additionally, as this is a small case series, randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes are required to provide evidence for generalisability of results.