Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Integrating public values in healthcare decision-making helps build trust, fosters public support, and improves outcomes. However, people often hold different and sometimes conflicting values, and taking account of multiple perspectives presents a challenge for policy makers. One area of healthcare innovation where values vary widely is that of digital mental health interventions (DMHIs). The objective of this paper is to explore the plurality of public values related to DMHIs and demonstrate how doing so can inform healthcare priority setting.
METHODS: Thematic analysis of public preference research, qualitative deliberative research, policy reports and other grey literature on public values related to DMHIs informed by the Principles, Policies and Patients’ framework (Baker et al, 2021) was conducted. In this framework, ‘Principles’ are broad ethical ideas, ‘Policies’ are rules and guidelines used by health organizations, and ‘Patients’ refers to individual, case level, perspectives.
RESULTS: Shared and conflicting values related to DMHIs were identified across the framework. For example, the principle that human-centeredness underpins mental health recovery is reflected in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) policy that recommends DMHIs be supervised by clinicians and in patients’ concerns about DMHIs replacing human interaction. On the other hand, principles of autonomy and scalability underpin policies that promote DMHIs to improve access, particularly in the current context of increased demand and patients’ valuing of the convenience and accessibility of DMHIs.
CONCLUSIONS: Using the ‘Principles, Policies and Patients’ framework helps reveal the range of public values around DMHIs. This approach can improve how we understand public values and how these inform healthcare decisions. Recognizing these diverse views can lead to more inclusive and context-aware healthcare decision making.