Exposurepedia: A pilot study of a web-tool to support the implementation of exposure therapy for anxiety-related disorders

Abstract

Despite robust empirical support, exposure therapy is severely underutilized in routine clinical care. Clinicians’ perception of exposure therapy as too difficult is a key but largely unaddressed barrier to implementation. This pilot study sought to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a novel clinical web-tool—Exposurepedia—designed to support the implementation of exposure therapy for anxiety-related disorders by alleviating its perceived difficulty. Clinicians in an anxiety specialty clinic were given access to Exposurepedia. Of 20 eligible clinicians, 16 (80%) voluntarily registered for the website. Of those who registered, 13 (81%) used the website at least once and 10 (77% of users) became repeat users. Over the 6-week pilot, Exposurepedia was accessed 46 times (M = 7.7 times per week; SD = 2.8). Clinicians reported in majority that Exposurepedia made exposure therapy easier, saved them time, was easy to use, and increased their confidence in doing exposures. Clinicians are interested in using Exposurepedia and found the tool to be both acceptable and feasible in alleviating the intellectual, logistical, and emotional demands of exposure therapy. This pilot provides the basis for future research seeking to further develop and evaluate this novel digital implementation support tool.