ReMind, a smartphone application for psychotic relapse prediction: A longitudinal study protocol

Abstract

Background: Psychotic disorders are associated with a high rate of relapse. In addition to medication non-adherence, some psychosocial factors have been found to be predictive of relapse (e.g., poor premorbid adjustment, high expressed emotion and substance misuse). Impairments in cognitive functions including general memory functioning, set shifting, attention, processing speed and working memory have also been indicative of a subsequent psychotic episode. As clinical appointments do not always allow for timely or accurate detection of these early warning signs, the ReMind app is developed to explore potential relapse predictors and enhance the process of relapse monitoring.

Aim: The ReMind app aims (1) to assess whether verbal or visual working memory predicts psychotic relapse in 1 year and (2) to determine whether social factors such as stressful life events, level of expressed emotion and medication adherence also predict relapse in 1 year.

Methods: This is a one-year prospective follow-up study involving 176 remitted patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or non-affective psychoses. Monthly relapse predictor assessments will be conducted via ReMind throughout the one-year study duration. These assessments include neurocognitive tasks and psychosocial questionnaires.

Results: Recruitment began in August 2017 and is still ongoing. Preliminary user feedback suggested an overall positive experience with the app.

Conclusion: The ReMind app presents a step forward to the identification and sensitive detection of reliable psychosis relapse predictors. With its anticipated success, it may offer an alternative means of monitoring relapse for the Chinese-speaking population in the future.