Abstract

Introduction: Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental health condition, which can result in functional impairment despite medication. A large evidence-base supports use of psychological therapies and structured care in the treatment of mood disorders, however, these are rarely implemented. E-pathways are digital structures that inform and record patient progress through a healthcare system, although these have not yet been used for bipolar disorder.

Aims: To assess the facilitators and barriers in implementing an e-pathway for bipolar disorder.

Method: Healthcare professionals and services users attended a workshop to share feedback on e-pathways. Data were collected through questionnaires (n = 26) and transcription of a focus group, analysed qualitatively using framework analysis.

Results: Service users and healthcare professionals welcomed the development of an e-pathway for bipolar disorder. There were five elements to the framework: quality and delivery of care, service-user clinician collaboration, flexibility and adaptability, impact on staff, impact on healthcare services.

Discussion: Identification of barriers and facilitators ensures that future development of e-pathways addresses concerns of healthcare professionals and service users, which would be essential for successful implementation. Recommendations for this development include making e-pathways less complicated for service users, ensuring sufficient training and ensuring clinicians do not feel their skills become invalidated. Limitations of the study, and directions for future research, are discussed.