%201.jpg)
Combining AI and human support to increase access to high-quality, evidence-based mental healthcare
ieso’s expert clinicians have designed a new digital Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) program that combines AI and human support to teach people skills to manage their anxiety.
Our scientists ran a large study with 300 volunteers to evaluate whether the program was engaging, safe and effective.
The study showed that the ieso digital program delivered a clinically meaningful decrease in anxiety symptoms that was comparable to NHS human-delivered therapy and required up to 8 times less clinician time.
This means the program could increase access to high-quality care, freeing up therapists’ time and enabling them to reach more people in need.
.png)
Key study findings
Large, clinically meaningful reduction in anxiety symptoms, even for those with severe anxiety. 82% of participants who used the program showed a significant reduction in anxiety symptoms (>4 points on the GAD-7 scale), with anxiety scores decreasing on average by 7.4 points – a change surpassing the effectiveness of many other digital programs.
Comparable effectiveness to human-delivered therapy, with less clinician time. Reduction in anxiety was far better than a matched waiting control group and comparable to two other matched control groups who received 1:1 human-delivered therapy (face-to-face and typed), while requiring 8 times less therapist time*. De-identified control data came from NHS patients, providing a comparison to real-world outcomes. (*based on global estimates)
Meaningful behavioral change up to one-month follow-up. The program significantly improved day-to-day functioning and improvements in anxiety persisted at follow-up (one month after the end of the study). These findings have positive implications for improving patient quality of life and reducing burden on health systems, the broader economy and society.
Engaging and rewarding program. Engagement was high (78%) and adherence across the program was no different than that seen in 1:1 therapy with a clinician. The majority of participants (84%) found the program rewarding and worthwhile.
Study highlights
Study volunteers were seeking support for generalised anxiety with levels ranging from mild to severe. Volunteers used the program in their own time, and a dedicated human support service was available to keep them motivated, monitor symptom progression and reach out to if needed.
Anxiety and mood symptoms, and day-to-day functioning, were measured before and after using the digital program, and at one-month follow-up. Anxiety symptoms were measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7). A reduction greater than 4 points on this scale is a clinically meaningful improvement.
We compared the data from those in the study to real-world, deidentified data from NHS patients.
We created three groups for comparison:
1) those waiting for therapy;
2) those who received face-to-face CBT; and
3) those who received typed CBT. All groups were created by carefully matching NHS patients with study participants. This means we compared the study volunteers to patients with the same age, symptom severity and if they had a comorbid chronic condition.
.png)
“I would say that this digital programme works for me because it was digital, but it wasn't solely digital. The fact that there was the human contact at intervals really added some value to that.”
Why is this study important?
Mental health conditions are on the rise with over 301 million people living with anxiety disorders globally. Growing demand combined with limited therapist availability means that many people struggle to access the support they need, when and where they need it. Over 20,000 apps are available for mental health support, but they are rarely tested to check that they are safe, effective and engaging to use – which means they don’t always work and are often left unused.
The findings offer evidence that combining AI technology and human support in this way has the potential to radically scale access to high-quality mental healthcare. This could benefit individuals, healthcare systems and wider society.
The ieso Digital Program
ieso’s expert clinicians designed a digital program to increase access to support for people with generalised anxiety. The program is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) principles – a “gold standard” treatment for common mental health disorders - and teaches users skills to manage their anxiety, including symptoms such as worry, stress, fatigue and sleeplessness.
By using the latest advances in AI technology, the program offers real-time, tailored interactions with a digital agent that guides the user through a structured six-module course. The digital agent delivers information in a conversational format as well as providing videos and interactive exercises. The program also includes a personalised human support and clinical oversight service, ensuring every user feels considered and cared for throughout their journey.
FOOTNOTE: The majority of text presented to users during interactive conversations with the digital agent is selected from pre-written responses written by our team of expert clinicians. The app contains extensive safety technologies to prevent users being presented with inappropriate content. Tests were done and showed that these safety features were less risky compared to the low prevalence of inappropriate language in traditional therapist-delivered clinical care.
.png)
“I liked that I could do it at my own pace and that I could look back over previous exercises and videos. I think it is an amazing programme. I saw and continue to see excellent results.””
“It was like somebody was giving me a leg up. It was somebody sort of picking me off the floor and saying, “you've got this, you can do this”
“I think it would benefit those that may need the help but may not have the capacity to have a quiet space to speak to somebody on the phone about it.”
“The programme supported me through a really difficult period in my life and I am still using the skills I learnt today.”
"As a therapist working to make a difference for over fifteen years, I understand the impact of safe, effective, and engaging mental health support for people experiencing some of their most vulnerable moments. By using expert therapist knowledge and the latest AI advances, ieso’s digital programme could transform mental health by making high-quality, evidence-based care available to everyone who needs it - and crucially when they want it and need it most. Increasing patient choice with evidenced options for those who wish to access their mental health support in a different way can free up therapist time, and enable them to reach more patients."
“ieso’s digital program combines the best of clinician expertise with the best of technology to improve timely access to safe, effective and evidence-based mental healthcare.”