Computer-assisted therapy: Harbinger of the 21st century?

Research findings suggest that computer-assisted therapy (CAT) has the pote ntial to play a significant role in mental health care. Psychoeducation, co gnitive-behavioral, and systematic desensitization strategies appear most a mendable to CAT approaches. Potential advantages of CAT include an increase d number of treatment options, low cost, privacy, consistency and individua lization of care, and ease of data collection. Although CAT appears promisi ng, clinician resistance and failure to adequately monitor clients may hamp er its use. Moreover, precautions will need to be taken to insure that CAT programs have been well-designed and tested. Nurses should become involved in the development, testing, and implementation of CAT software. Copyright( C) 1999 by W.B. Saunders Company.