(PS12-88) Unlocking New Tools for OCD Treatment: Closing the Research-to-practice Gap in New Technologies

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a neuropsychiatric condition that causes impairment and affects quality of life. While exposure with response prevention (ERP) is recommended as the first-line treatment for OCD, difficulties exist in its implementation. Our work has found that these difficulties include patient compliance with exposures, accessing exposure stimuli, and implementing ERP without clinician support. Mobile health apps (mHealth) and virtual reality (VR) technologies may be able to address and overcome these challenges. Unfortunately, several barriers exist in the adoption of these tools within clinical practice. The current study surveyed OCD clinicians to determine (1) clinicians’ use and/or interest to use mHealth and VR in treatment, (2) perceived barriers in implementing VR and mHealth tools during treatment, and (3) factors that influence clinicians’ willingness to engage with these technologies. 

The sample consisted of 223 licensed OCD clinicians that completed the survey items. Clinicians were primarily white (92%), female (69%), and worked in private practice settings (84%). The survey inquired about current mHealth use in treatment, and barriers that impeded utilization of mHealth. Similarly for VR, survey items inquired about current use and/or interest to use VR, and barriers that might impede utilization of VR (e.g., clinician’s comfort with technology) 

Surprisingly, 62% of clinicians reported already using mHealth when treating patients with OCD. The most common uses for mHealth apps were mindfulness/meditation exercises (76%), thought/mood tracking (35.9%), relaxation training (33.6%), and conducting exposures (32.8%). Identified barriers to utilizing mHealth in OCD treatment included: lack of knowledge about options (46%), concerns about empirical support (35%), and lack of interest or motivation from clients (33%). While most clinicians expressed interest in using VR for exposures (84%), notably fewer felt comfortable doing so (40%), with even less reporting using VR already in practice (9%). Common barriers to using VR use included: a lack of equipment (72%), cost (61%), lack of training or experience (61%), lack of knowledge (50%), and lack of OCD-specific programs (46%). Factors that influenced clinicians' utilization of mHealth in OCD treatment included education-level, work environment, and therapeutic strategies. Meanwhile, factors that influenced clinician’s interest and comfort in using VR included: therapeutic approach, clinician experience, challenges conducting exposures, barriers to using VR, and mHealth anticipated continued use. 

Findings highlight that clinicians are already using mHealth in clinical practice. Meanwhile, there is high interest in VR for exposures, but little adoption in clinical practice. While innovative technologies have the potential to enhance care, no clear ‘best practice’ guidance on integrating these tools into ERP exists. Future research should establish ‘best practices’ to help clinicians utilize these technologies and incorporate clinician characteristics that may influence adoption.