OBJECTIVES: Janssen, in collaboration with the Oxford Academic Health Science Network, are applying innovative interactive digital technology using real-world data (e.g. HES, QOF) to map local variation, identify pathway inefficiencies and understand the whole system value in the management of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

BACKGROUND: The healthcare landscape is constantly evolving. Novel treatments provide an expanding arsenal for the healthcare professional to improve patient outcomes and quality of life, but often enter a fragmented market with inefficient pathways, which can delay patient access.

Service improvement is essential to ensure that health systems are keeping up with the changing demands of a population. A key challenge in gaining traction is communicating a unified view of pathway issues and a shared understanding of potential benefits of a change in service.

Innovative digital technologies can help in providing a simple holistic approach to pathway optimisation, enabling productive discussions and providing a virtual testbed to analyse the impact of an intervention. This approach helps to minimise the risk of introducing additional pressures and provides a platform for identifying solutions with the largest positive impact.

DISCUSSION: New models of care for the MDD pathway will be piloted across the United Kingdom with the aim of streamlining primary to secondary care interactions and maximising each touchpoint a patient has with the health service. Data will be collected over 6-24 months to demonstrate outcomes and impact of the interventions. The resulting case studies can be integrated into the digital platform and used to disseminate best practice and support wider roll out of successful interventions to other local health economies (LHEs).

CONCLUSIONS: Making use of innovative digital technology can support a holistic approach to service optimisation and provide LHEs with the tools to explore the effects of an intervention prior to investing in a real-world setting.