SCAVIS – Stepped-Care Approach for the health service of internet-related disorders

Research topic 

The project is designed as comprehensive stepped-care approach and is funded by G-BA innovation-funding (3.49 Million € (Mainz 316 T€)). The Employee Assistance Program offers adequate help for the whole spectrum of internet-related disorders and all its degrees of severity. Target group are women and men from companies aged between 16 and 64 years with internet-related disorder (IBS) and noticeable internet usage (internet addiction or problematic internet usage). As the program includes a module for primary prevention, it points to all employees from cooperating companies, which can be reached through company health insurance funds. The stepped care approach comprises screening and subsequent allocation to tracking-App (step 1), telephone short-consultation (step 2) if necessary an online-therapy (step 3). Defined criteria of success determine the end of therapy in this process or the next step. All interventions are E-Health-based and embedded in a universal preventive offer. The interventions include smartphone-apps and/or telephonic consultation as well as online-therapy. Within the context of the SCAVIS-project, the distinct online-therapy-module (step 3) for treatment of IBS will be implemented in cooperation with Prof. H. Salbach (Freie Universität Berlin) in Mainz and Berlin and is starting in fall 2020. The online-therapy is based on a standardized behavioral-therapeutic treatment manual, that is grounded on cognitive behavior therapy and is applied in a number of outpatient clinics for addictions and rehabilitation clinics. Up until now, the need for the study emerges from missing concepts for early interventions and the broad implementation of telemedical methods for the care of this relevant new group of patients, whose impact will certainly increase hereafter.

Duration: September 2020 - August 2023

Funding: Innovations-funding of G-BA