As technologies like telehealth and smartphone apps assume a larger role in care, it is critical that all people are able to connect and equitably benefit from digital health. Today, many people with serious mental illness (SMI) face a digital divide in that they lack the digital literacy to equitable benefit from online and tech-based care platforms. The digital health navigator (DHN) training is designed to close that digital divide as the DHN is a new member of the care team able to support people’s technology use towards recovery.
DHN training is designed to ensure learners possess the knowledge, skills, and confidence using technology to enable clients to find, evaluate, organize, create, and communicate health information. This is accomplished through interactive didactic material around smartphone fundamentals, technology troubleshooting, app evaluation, working with digital data, and clinical engagement..
Agenda Topics
| 1. Ensuring trainees have a basic understanding of how to use smartphone tools for both Android and Apple Devices. Apply this understanding to independently use smartphone tools to benefit mental health. |
| 2. Assisting with technological problems that are frequently seen and the most effective ways to handle each issue. |
| 3. Learn how to quickly and efficiently evaluate new and updated apps to ensure they are both safe and potentially effective for the patient at hand to use. |
| 4. Understand basic clinical terminology, privacy, and safety considerations for the role. Be able to help people interpret app-generated data toward improving their mental health |
| 5. Efficiently engage the patient in order to help maintain the motivation for app use and understand any technology barriers that may arise. |
| 6. Online training that offers an interactive web-based experience of hours 1-5 presented in a new format and with new cases. |
Learning Objectives
| As a result of attending this training, participants will be able to: |
| 1. Formulate a digital toolkit that your patients can utilize towards recovery goals by using only native apps and easily accessible features on their smartphone. |
| 2. Guide a patient through informed decision-making in helping them find a smartphone app that is tailored to their unique needs and engagement style. |
| 3. Engage patients with digital health through motivational interviewing and personalized goals to ensure continued and sustained use of technology towards recovery. |
