Priority 15 from the Digital Technology for Mental Health PSP

UNCERTAINTY: How can duty of care be upheld when using digital technologies for mental health? (JLA PSP Priority 15)
Overall ranking	15
JLA question ID	0069/15
Explanatory note	Not available for this PSP
Evidence	No systematic reviews identified
Health Research Classification System category	Mental Health

Extra information provided by this PSP
Original uncertainty examples	People may use electronic media to tell professionals/researchers about emergencies. What duty is there for professionals/researchers to act on these and at one timescale? A particular problems comes at nightime. ~ Where does the risk lie when using digital technology? i.e. if directing clients to an online source for say peer support, how do we know this is being managed well and that people aren't at risk ~ Where is the duty of care and safeguards offline? ~ One of the concerns I have about using digital technology for mental health problems is that young people could become upset whilst participating in the work and "the computer" would not recognise this and modify its approach in the way that a live clinician would do.
Submitted by	1 x Service User ~ 1 x Carer ~ 3 x Practitioners

Extra information provided by this PSP

Original uncertainty examples

People may use electronic media to tell professionals/researchers about emergencies. What duty is there for professionals/researchers to act on these and at one timescale? A particular problems comes at nightime. ~ Where does the risk lie when using digital technology? i.e. if directing clients to an online source for say peer support, how do we know this is being managed well and that people aren't at risk ~ Where is the duty of care and safeguards offline? ~ One of the concerns I have about using digital technology for mental health problems is that young people could become upset whilst participating in the work and "the computer" would not recognise this and modify its approach in the way that a live clinician would do.

Submitted by

1 x Service User ~ 1 x Carer ~ 3 x Practitioners

PSP information
PSP unique ID	0069
PSP name	Digital Technology for Mental Health
Total number of uncertainties identified by this PSP.	134 (To see a full list of all uncertainties identified, please see the detailed spreadsheet held on the JLA website)
Date of priority setting workshop	12 March 2018