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Online Support and Intervention for Child Anxiety (OSI) was among one of four digital tools recommended to help children and young people with mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety or low mood.

OSI Screen

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended two new mental health treatments for children and young people. This recommendation comes from an independent NICE committee and is the first to be published as part of NICE's new Early Value Assessment (EVA) for medical technologies. The EVA offers a faster alternative to the traditional 'NICE medical technologies guidance' process.

 

ONLINE SUPPORT AND INTERVENTION FOR CHILD ANXIETY (OSI)

 

OSI is an online, parent-led and therapist-supported resource designed to help children overcome problems with fears, worries, and anxiety. It also comes with an optional game app that can help to motivate children to give strategies a try with their parent/carer.

Developed by Professor Cresswell and her team, and with the support from the NIHR ARC OxTV and Oxford Health BRC, OSI is based on the latest evidence on how to help children aged 5-12 years old overcome problems with fears, worries, and anxiety, and was developed in collaboration with parents, carers, children, NHS professionals, researchers, a technology company, and others with relevant personal experience.

 

ONLINE SOCIAL ANXIETY COGNITIVE THERAPY FOR ADOLESCENTS (OSCA)

OSCA, developed which was also developed with support from the Oxford Health BRC, is an evidence-based, secure, online 10-week treatment programme developed to help treat social anxiety in those aged 11 to 19 years old.

Social anxiety is a very common problem among this age group and can make life extremely difficult for those experiencing it. Over the ten weeks young people taking part in OSCA work through online exercise modules (available via laptop, desktop, or mobile devices), supported by weekly video calls with a practitioner to help answer questions and guide them through the treatment.

The development process involved collaboration with parents, carers, children, NHS professionals, researchers, and technology companies.

OSI and OSCA were selected and assessed as part of the EVA, which specifically looked at promising technologies that can be used to address unmet needs in NHS priority clinical areas of mental health. The next step to these technologies being used country-wide is approval by NHS England's Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC).

The NICE guidelines will then be changed to include this new information, and the NHS will be given a recommendation about how often it should be used.

Professor Cathy Creswell, who led the development of OSI, stated:

"We are delighted that NICE, via the EVA, have recognised the potential of both treatments to improve outcomes for children and young people experiencing mental health problems. This is an important next step in realising the benefits of these evidence-based treatments across the NHS and making a real difference to the lives of children, young people and their families."

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay emphasized the importance of these new tools:

"It is incredibly important children and young people can access mental health services when they need it, and these new guided self-help tools will allow those between 5 and 18 to learn techniques for support when they are available in future."

 

Read more on the NICE website: 

ttps://www.nice.org.uk/news/article/digital-mental-health-tech-for-children-and-young-people-recommended-by-nice-in-first-rapid-healthtech-guidance