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Woman wearing headphones following Sidekick's mindfulness module.

September 28, 2022

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The practice of mindfulness has witnessed a considerable resurgence, particularly within the healthcare industry. The Sidebar looks at the various benefits of mindfulness and how it can help reduce stress levels. Sidekick's mindfulness and stress-management program features are designed to help people manage their stress and anxiety levels through guided meditations and exercises.

Healthcare professionals and patients alike have come to increasingly incorporate mindfulness within treatment programs to positive effect. The mind-body connection is very important, and the ability to be present and aware (mindfulness) has many health benefits.

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Mindfulness-based interventions have been confirmed effective for the treatment of chronic pain, psoriasis, and a number of psychiatric illnesses, and further have the potential to prevent cognitive decline.

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Sidekick cites practices such as mindfulness-based stress reduction as a key treatment component. Our digital health programs feature several tools that teach mindfulness and encourage users to establish positive behaviors.

Breaking the Worry Cycle

Mindfulness is an integral part of any treatment journey. Behavioral research shows that people’s lifestyle decisions are driven more by emotion than logic. Encouraging people to practice mindfulness meditation means that they are less likely to get caught up in negative thoughts. This is because they are more aware of the choices they make and are more present in the moment.

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Breaking the worry cycle is vital in terms of improving the overall quality of life. Sidekick's programs are designed to help patients manage their chronic conditions by providing them with the right tools to cultivate mindful habits.

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To break the anxiety cycle, you need to become aware of the cycle. So instead of letting your anxious thoughts and feelings drive your behavior, you’ll learn to slow down your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Ocean Anxiety Center

Healthcare professionals also serve to benefit from the implementation of mindfulness based stress reduction techniques. When patients make a conscious effort to become more engaged with their health by tuning into their thoughts and emotions, they are more likely to adhere to their treatment plan, respond well to medication, and experience positive health outcomes.

The Accessibility of DTx Programs

Despite being an ancient technique, the practice of mindfulness has yet to be adopted by many. Smartphones are everywhere, and DTx solutions are delivered through a downloadable app. This makes them ideal for promoting mindfulness and other stress-management techniques.

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The accessibility of DTx solutions means they offer a cost-effective treatment solution to patients in settings where they are comfortable. A growing need and simultaneous shortage of trained therapists highlights the necessity of a digital health solution that offers mental health support. Digital mental health support is particularly advantageous for patients with limited access to in-person care; this could be due to living in a remote location or living with physical limitations.

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Sidekick’s Mindfulness and Stress-Management Features

In an effort to reduce symptoms and the burden of issues such as anxiety, depression, and fatigue, Sidekick has worked to create a digital health solution that leverages neurobehavioral techniques to modify patient behaviors. Every program is tailored to the individual patient and features the following behavioral management tools.

Gamification

One of the key ways in which patients build positive habits is by maintaining motivation throughout their treatment plan. Sidekick, therefore, incorporates gamification to drive patient engagement, encouraging users to become more involved with their health.

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A gamified experience promotes behavior modification to reduce stress, improve physical activity, sleep, and diet, and overcome barriers to change. The Sidekick platform rewards users for completing their daily tasks, encouraging them to adopt positive habits in the long term.

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Completing the daily tasks in the app and collecting water droplets was very encouraging and motivating for me - that was really great.
Evelyn Gross, Sidekick user

Behavioral therapy

Sidekick is committed to helping patients develop healthy habits through behavioral therapy. This involves identifying triggers for sustainable, positive behaviors. The behavioral therapy tools implemented by Sidekick are Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

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CBT attempts to change the way people behave in response to different situations, helping them to avoid automatic, emotion-driven reactions. CBT helps users to identify stressful thoughts and change their thinking with an emphasis on effective problem solving and behavioral changes.

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Sidekick’s solution implements CBT by placing emphasis on behavioral activation and teaching problem-solving methods like thought restructuring, modifying triggers/environment, how to seek social support, relaxation methods, and goal setting.

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ACT is applied within Sidekick’s programs to a similar effect. ACT focuses on compassion and helping patients to empathize with their feelings and thoughts. Sidekick helps patients to identify what they can control in their lives. The educational materials within the app teach users coping skills to help manage difficult thoughts and feelings.

Nutrition tracker

Functions within the Sidekick app encourage users to establish a more mindful relationship with their bodies’ nutritional needs. The ability to track water intake, log meals, and receive nutritional feedback in the app support the practice of mindful eating which further encourages treatment adherence, particularly in terms of weight loss. The weight loss program designed by Sidekick has already witnessed success in this area, demonstrating clinical efficacy in helping patients achieve weight loss.

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What I like best is the feedback I get from the coach in the meal diary. Without the program I would not have dared to change my diet. The app gives me security here. As a result, I was able to gradually change my diet and have lost several kilos so far.
Gerda Neumayer, Sidekick user

Conclusion

Mindfulness, and other behavioral therapies, emerge as key treatment components for patients living with chronic conditions. Mindfulness meditation has the ability to positively impact numerous areas of patients’ lives, with particular reference to improved quality of sleep, stress-management, nutrition, and the establishment of healthy behaviors.

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Digital health solutions are hugely influential in encouraging mindfulness practices and therefore, enhancing treatment plans. Programs that provide consistent support encourage patients to practice the art of mindfulness daily, ultimately triggering a continuity of positive behavior.

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