Augmenting mHealth With Human Support: Notes From Community Care of People With Serious Mental Illnesses

Topic: This article describes the activities of 2 mHealth specialists who supported the deployment of FOCUS-a smartphone self-management application for individuals with serious mental illnesses. Purpose: Several support activities have been identified as potentially advantageous for individuals using mHealth interventions: facilitation of user engagement, data utilization to enhance care, and promotion of meaningful use. We present 3 examples to demonstrate the implementation of these activities during a 12-week smartphone intervention. Sources Used: The personal experiences of 2 mHealth specialists are shared within the context of 3 examples of individuals who participated in the smartphone intervention. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: The application of these support activities highlights the future opportunities that mHealth interventions could offer to individuals with serious mental illnesses and their providers. Additionally, these examples call for conversation about technology support roles and where they belong in the context of community-based care.