Digital tools in Flemish mental healthcare: opportunities and challenges
This article, in Dutch, examines the implementation of digital tools in Flemish mental healthcare, discussing both the opportunities and challenges that digital tools offer for therapists, clients and care institutions.
Summary
Society is digitizing at a rapid pace. Our lives are increasingly taking place online, virtual relationships exist alongside real ones, and technological applications have become an almost self-evident part of our daily actions and behaviors. The way clients experience care and the way care providers deliver it are also evolving. Waringa and Ribbers (2018) point to four important trends: (1) the digitization of healthcare information, which enables logistical processes such as planning, payment, management, and the exchange of healthcare information to be supported efficiently; (2) the emergence of the (independent) healthcare consumer, who is better informed and proactively helps steer their own care process; (3) new forms of care delivery, such as remote care, blended therapy, anonymous assistance, and online peer support, which lead to a broader range of care options and, in some cases, to better and more effective care; and (4) greater opportunities for self-care, such as wearables and apps that easily allow us to monitor our functioning and lifestyle and, when necessary, make adjustments.
Read more
Reference
Stinckens, N., Missiaen, C., Van Daele, T. (2020). Digitale tools in de Vlaamse geestelijke gezondheidszorg: kansen en uitdagingen. Tijdschrift Klinische Psychologie, 50(3), 179-189.