Blended Care Platform for Digital Psychotherapy

The challenge

A lot happens between two appointments, and the therapist is not there. Patients may lose focus, find it hard to apply what they learned, or stop doing their exercises. Therapists often see the effect only at the next session, when it is harder to adapt the plan.

The solution

SwissDTx connects the session with the time in between. You assign structured content from the library or from your own material. Patients work through it in the app. Their answers and progress appear in the Care Cockpit, and you adjust the plan based on what actually happened.

What you can do with it

• Assign interventions: use structured CBT interventions such as INTER-E for stress and emotion regulation in children and adolescents, or KVT-E for adolescents with binge eating disorder. Digitize your own methods as custom interventions.
• Use validated screeners: assign and repeat instruments such as PHQ-4, PHQ-9 and the RAND-36 quality-of-life survey.
• Give exercises for between sessions: for example a self-observation protocol, working with dysfunctional thoughts, or sensing emotions in the body.
• Plan the pathway: see each patient's chapters week by week, with status such as completed or delayed.
• Review answers and activity: open responses and progress in the Care Cockpit before the next session.
• Send reminders: patients receive personalized reminders in the app.
• Create content with AI: draft or adapt interventions with an AI assistant such as Claude or ChatGPT through the AI Therapy Builder. You review and approve everything before it reaches patients.
• Keep data in Switzerland: SwissDTx is hosted exclusively on servers in Switzerland.

Example: an adolescent between two sessions

Illustrative example with a fictional patient.

1. In the session: the therapist adds the patient, assigns INTER-E (Youth) and the PHQ-4 screener, and invites the patient to the app by email or code.
2. Between sessions: the patient completes the first chapter, does the exercise and answers the screener on their phone.
3. Before the next session: the therapist opens the Care Cockpit and sees one completed chapter, one delayed chapter and the screener answers.
4. In the next session: the therapist talks about the delayed chapter and adjusts the plan.

Evidence and credibility

• INTER-E, an intervention by researchers at the University of Fribourg, runs on SwissDTx.
• Blended CBT, the combination of face-to-face sessions and online components, has been studied in systematic reviews and randomized trials. Studies in adults with depression, anxiety and substance use found it feasible and potentially effective [1-4]. These results do not automatically apply to other groups or products.
• SwissDTx delivers and manages digital content. Diagnosis and treatment decisions remain with the treating professional.

References

1. Erbe D, Eichert HC, Riper H, Ebert DD. Blending face-to-face and internet-based interventions for the treatment of mental disorders in adults: systematic review. J Med Internet Res. 2017;19(9):e306. Full text
2. Kooistra LC, Wiersma JE, Ruwaard J, et al. Cost and effectiveness of blended versus standard cognitive behavioral therapy for outpatients with depression in routine specialized mental health care: pilot randomized controlled trial. J Med Internet Res. 2019;21(10):e14261. DOI
3. Thase ME, Wright JH, Eells TD, et al. Improving the efficiency of psychotherapy for depression: computer-assisted versus standard CBT. Am J Psychiatry. 2018. DOI
4. Kemmeren LL, van Schaik A, Draisma S, et al. Effectiveness of blended cognitive behavioral therapy versus treatment as usual for depression in routine specialized mental healthcare: E-COMPARED trial in the Netherlands. Cogn Ther Res. 2023;47(3):386-398. DOI

FAQ

What is a blended care platform?

A blended care platform connects in-person sessions with digital content in between. Therapists assign interventions, exercises and screeners, patients complete them in an app, and the therapist follows progress and adapts the treatment.

How does SwissDTx support digital psychotherapy?

SwissDTx gives therapists a Care Cockpit to assign content and review results, and gives patients an app with exercises, screeners and reminders for the time between sessions.

Does SwissDTx replace in-person therapy?

No. It complements in-person therapy. The therapeutic relationship and clinical decisions stay with the professional.

Which content can I use?

You can use interventions, screeners and exercises from the SwissDTx library, digitize your own material as custom interventions, or create content with an AI assistant and review it before assigning.

What do patients need?

The SwissDTx Patient App on iOS, Android or in the browser, and an invitation by email or code from their therapist.

Where is data stored?

SwissDTx is hosted exclusively on servers in Switzerland.