IAPT and the internet - the current and future role of therapist-guided internet interventions within routine care settings


Why and when I was reading this

Lit review for the IAPT paper on OCD-NET.

Key takeaways

  • There are potential advantages to using ICBT within a system like IAPT
  • Few IAPT services use NICE-recommended therapies
  • More research is needed on the effectiveness and implementation of digital therapies within IAPT

He focuses mainly on implementing online treatments in IAPT. Despite great progress, IAPT currently reaches around one in five of those with mental health problems. Online therapies could help bridge that gap.

Expanded training X more efficient treatments

Only 24.3 IAPT services were using a NICE-recommended programme [@bennion2017].

Three key considerations

  1. Choosing the right interventions (evidence of efficacy, NICE evaluation, data security, usability)
  2. Ensuring adequate therapist training (knowledge of protocol and structure, technical use of the treatment, how to communicate, practical strategies to deal with low engagement)
  3. Practical and organisational factors (how to integrate within the service, choice of staff to work with the programme, scheduling)

To read

(Few IAPT services use NICE-recommended ICBT therapies) Bennion et al., 2017 (Evaluations of ICBT in IAPT) Richards et al., 2018a