Blended care: state of research and possibilities for implementation

Background: Psychotherapy is effective in treating mental disorders; however, not all patients benefit to the same extent and treatment gains are not always maintained. Blended care (BC) has the potential to improve psychotherapeutic care by combining traditional psychotherapy with online contents.Objective: To explore the potential of BC for psychotherapeutic care and investigate its implementation possibilities.Material and methods: Presentation of the effectiveness of various BC modalities, attitudes of users and decision-makers, and discussion of recommendations for its implementation.ResultsIndications for the effectiveness of BC in different modalities has been shown in several studies. Both therapists and patients prefer BC over a purely online intervention and want customizable contents; however, it remains unclear for which patients BC is a particularly suitable treatment option.Conclusion: Various combinations of BC have the potential to be an effective and financially viable treatment option. Successful implementation requires better education about BC and the provision of the necessary infrastructure.