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edupression
at a glance

Everything about indication, area of application and evidence.

without waiting time

Digital therapy for depression1

edupression is a Class I digital medical device with CE marking. edupression is listed under MiGeL item number 40.01.01.00.1 with Pharmacode 1192679.

Subject to the applicable conditions, edupression is reimbursed by compulsory health insurance (OKP) upon a doctor’s prescription. The applicable limitations set out in the MiGeL are decisive.

ICD 10 codes: These indications can be treated with edupression

F32.0

Mild depressive episode

F32.1

Moderate depressive episode

F33.0

Recurrent depressive disorder, currently mild episode

F33.1

Recurrent depressive disorder, currently moderate episode

The German S3 guideline recommends for care in Germany the use of dGA (IMI, internet- and mobile-based interventions) as first-line therapy for mild depression. edupression can be used as a temporary measure until psychotherapy begins, or as a complement to ongoing psychotherapy.2

dGA in the treatment of depression

Added value for patients and practice

dGA in the
treatment of depression

Added value for patients and practice

Prompt start of therapy

edupression can serve as a therapeutic bridge until psychotherapy begins and can also be used to complement ongoing psychotherapy.

Treatment independent of time and place

With an internet-enabled device, depression therapy via dGA is always available when your patients need it.

Reimbursement via the OKP

Subject to the applicable conditions, edupression is reimbursed by compulsory health insurance (OKP) upon a doctor’s prescription. The applicable limitations set out in the MiGeL are decisive.

Proven effectiveness

The efficacy of edupression has been demonstrated in a randomized clinical trial. This makes the dGA edupression an effective treatment option for depression.

Therefore edupression

How edupression supports your treatment

In the eFICASY study, the effectiveness of edupression was investigated in comparison to a sham treatment (1:1 randomisation). The study demonstrated a significant reduction in depression severity (PHQ-9 score) and a significant improvement in depression competence through the use of edupression.3,4

Learn more

edupression contains comprehensible and visually appealing information texts, videos and quizzes to provide patients with comprehensive information about their illness. There are also numerous exercises, e.g. on breathing, mindfulness, resilience and acceptance, dealing with emotions and thoughts and progressive muscle relaxation.

edupression combines psychoeducation, CBT-based exercises and structured progress monitoring. The focus is on psychoeducation – it is part of all 59 edupression therapy sessions.
Among other things, edupression imparts knowledge about:

  • Development and influencing factors as well as symptoms and course of depression
  • Nervous system and stress reactions
  • Exercise and relaxation for depression
  • Therapy-resistant depression
  • Therapy options and antidepressant therapy

edupression includes CBT-based exercises and training sessions to apply the knowledge learned. edupression provides therapy feedback in the form of reports – e.g. on the PHQ-9 test, mood chart, therapy situation, learning overview and bipolarity.

Request test code

Testing edupression from the patient’s perspective

In order to explain the functionality and benefits of edupression to your patients in the best possible way, you have the opportunity to try out the digital therapy programme yourself. Our trial access gives you 3 days’ access to the edupression content as it is available to your patients.

To be able to use the test access, you need an individual access code. Simply request this using our form – we will send you the code by email within a short time.

Request test code

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Evidence

edupression – the effective, evidence-based therapy program for depression

Digital health applications can complement the care of adults with depression. In Switzerland, edupression may be used, subject to the applicable conditions, as a bridging measure until psychotherapy begins or as a supplement to ongoing psychotherapy.1,2,5

edupression in practice

In order to assess the use of edupression in everyday practice, a Vienna working group led by Prof. Lukas Pezawas conducted a retrospective analysis of data from the German NeuroTransData register on the effectiveness, treatment adherence and user retention of edupression.

Basis of the analysis

The analysis was based on data from 170 adult patients over the age of 18 who were prescribed edupression in Germany as a DiGA for the first time, either as monotherapy or as an adjunctive therapy, between November 17, 2023 and May 1st, 2024. Three quarters (73%) of those affected were female and 47% had a recurrent depressive episode. Moderate depression was present in 83% and 73% were receiving pharmacotherapy.6

PHQ-9 score

Between baseline and day 90, the PHQ-9 score of the participants had improved by an average of 4.62 points. In the analysis, more frequent use of edupression was associated with a greater reduction in the PHQ-9 score: In patients who used edupression more than twice a week, the severity of depression decreased by 5.32 PHQ-9 points, while in those with lower frequency of use (< twice a week) it only decreased by 2.87 points.6

Study design and population

The clinical efficacy and safety of edupression were investigated, amongst other studies, in the randomised controlled eFICASY trial. The prospective study (German Clinical Trials Registry (DRKS): DRKS00032121; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04839822) included 250 patients over the age of 18 with mild to moderate depression (defined as PHQ-9* ≥ 5) who were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to an intervention with edupression or an active sham treatment (sham control).4

Participants in the control group were provided with an app featuring an identical user interface and mood monitoring. The active control application did not contain any specific psychoeducational or CBT-based content from edupression, but rather general health-related and popular psychology content, as well as relaxation tips. The primary endpoint of the eFICASY study was depression severity at week 12. The primary analysis of the randomized controlled trial was conducted according to the intention-to-treat principle (ITT principle).4

The use of edupression was associated with clinically relevant improvements compared to the control group. By week 12 of the study, the PHQ-9 score in the intervention group decreased significantly by 2.3 points (95% confidence interval [CI]: -3.5 to -1.0) compared to the active control group (p < 0.001).4

In addition to depression severity, depression competence was also determined in the eFICASY study (secondary endpoint). The measurement was carried out using the D-Lit questionnaire**. Among edupression users, depression competence of edupression users increased steadily from baseline to week 12, while it remained almost unchanged in the control group (D-Lit difference: 0.8; 95% CI: 0.2 to 1.4; p = 0.016).4

Subgroup analyses within the intervention group also show that the treatment effects were independent of age, gender and severity of depression as well as psychopharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.4

What our depression specialists say

Dr Harsha Buksh

Psychiatrist

edupression strengthens
my therapy.

I have been looking for a long time to find a digital medical product in the field of depression that meets my expectations. edupression succeeds in every respect.

Dr Emmalynn Mazzia

Psychologist

I can also observe my clients’ progress between two therapy sessions.

The content is very informative and practice-orientated. Thanks to edupression, I can also get a good picture in the time between therapy sessions.

Dr Beth Murphy

Psychiatrist

My patients love edupression.

edupression offers my patients top-class content – exciting, informative and evidence-based; they simply love it!

Patient cases

As a cooperation partner of edupression, SERVIER provides helpful information material on digital depression therapy – including several patient cases inspired by practice. The cases are available for download at a central location on the MyServier specialist portal.

About MyServier

References/sources:

* PHQ-9: Patient Health Questionnaire-9
** D-Lit: Depression Literacy Questionnaire

  1. EUDAMED Verzeichnis https://ec.europa.eu/tools/eudamed/
  2. S3-Guideline Nationale VersorgungsLeitlinie Unipolare Depression, Version 3.2, 2022, AWMF, Register-Nr. nvl-005
3.
  3. Preiß M, et al. (2023) Randomised controlled clinical trial of the efficacy of the digital self-help program edupression.com® in mild-to-moderate unipolar depressive patients (eFICASY-study). Neuroscience Applied. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nsa.2023.103615
  4. NICE Guideline on the Treatment and Management of Depression in Adults 2022; https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng222
  5. Symposium „Affektive Erkrankungen: therapeutische Interventionen“, DGPPN-Congress, 27.11.2024, Berlin