Technology for the clinical care of anxiety
What is it about?
Technology can be used to treat anxiety without the use of face-to-face care. How prevalent are treatments for anxiety that use technology, and are they effective? This "evidence map" visualizes randomized controlled trials in the literature that have evaluated the use of technology for the treatment of anxiety.
Why is it important?
Face-to-face care can be challenging for many patients suffering from anxiety for many factors, including, cost, distance, and stigma. We showed that technology-based treatments for anxiety reduced symptoms across a wide range of applications. Most tested applications involved computers and self-directed psychotherapy. However, more research is needed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of technology-based interventions versus traditional approaches, and among different types and functions of technology-based approaches.