Using mobile technologies with psychiatric patients: Assessing the potential to reduce risk of developing diseases related to inactivity

Mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, are accompanied by increased morbidity and mortality rates, potentially reducing the lifespan of patients by up to 10 years. Premature deaths in schizophrenia sufferers are caused mainly by cardiovascular diseases and complications related to excessive weight gain and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Gaining weight is, furthermore, often a side effect of medicine prescribed for the treatment of schizophrenia. This is why treatment protocols are putting a greater emphasis on healthy lifestyle and exercise for patients, which may support both weight loss and suppress feelings of anxiety. It is, therefore, important for a doctor to monitor the exercise habits of their patients. This article focuses on telemonitoring of physical activity and other biological parameters in patients with mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, using the recent m-Health technology in the form of a Fitbit Flex activity tracker. The Soma web portal has been created to continuously monitor, visualize and analyse the data measured on patients within the scope of research activities.