title: Expectations, experiences and attitudes of patients and primary care health professionals regarding online psychotherapeutic interventions for depression: protocol for a qualitative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the year 2020, depression will cause the second highest amount of disability worldwide. One quarter of the population will suffer from depression symptoms at some point in their lives. Mental health services in Western countries are overburdened. Therefore, cost-effective interventions that do not involve mental health services, such as online psychotherapy programs, have been proposed. These programs demonstrate satisfactory outcomes, but the completion rate for patients is low. Health professionals' attitudes towards this type of psychotherapy are more negative than the attitudes of depressed patients themselves. The aim of this study is to describe the profile of depressed patients who would benefit most from online psychotherapy and to identify expectations, experiences, and attitudes about online psychotherapy among both patients and health professionals that can facilitate or hinder its effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  A parallel qualitative design will be used in a randomised controlled trial on the efficiency of online psychotherapeutic treatment for depression. Through interviews and focus groups, the experiences of treated patients, their reasons for abandoning the program, the expectations of untreated patients, and the attitudes of health professionals will be examined. Questions will be asked about training in new technologies, opinions of online psychotherapy, adjustment to therapy within the daily routine, the virtual and anonymous relationship with the therapist, the process of online communication, information necessary to make progress in therapy, process of working with the program, motivations and attitudes about treatment, expected consequences, normalisation of this type of therapy in primary care, changes in the physician-patient relationship, and resources and risks. A thematic content analysis from the grounded theory for interviews and an analysis of the discursive positions of participants based on the sociological model for focus groups will be performed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Knowledge of the expectations, experiences, and attitudes of both patients and medical personnel regarding online interventions for depression can facilitate the implementation of this new psychotherapeutic tool. This qualitative investigation will provide thorough knowledge of the perceptions, beliefs, and values of patients and clinicians, which will be very useful for understanding how to implement this intervention method for depression.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors: Jesús
authors: J
authors: Montero-Marín
authors: José Miguel
authors: JM
authors: Carrasco
authors: Miquel
authors: M
authors: Roca
authors: Antoni
authors: A
authors: Serrano-Blanco
authors: Margalida
authors: M
authors: Gili
authors: Fermin
authors: F
authors: Mayoral
authors: Juan V
authors: JV
authors: Luciano
authors: Yolanda
authors: Y
authors: Lopez-del-Hoyo
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Olivan
authors: Francisco
authors: F
authors: Collazo
authors: Ricardo
authors: R
authors: Araya
authors: Rosa
authors: R
authors: Baños
authors: Cristina
authors: C
authors: Botella
authors: Javier
authors: J
authors: García-Campayo
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care / Q000523:psychology*; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D017216:Telemedicine