SynthesisJMIR public health and surveillance2023
The Usability, Feasibility, Acceptability, and Efficacy of Digital Mental Health Services in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Scoping Review, Systematic Review, and Meta-analysis.
Synthesis in JMIR public health and surveillance, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Examining BRITEpath, a Digital Intervention for Reducing Adolescent Suicide Risk in Primary Care: A Randomized-Controlled Trial.Suicide & life-threatening behavior · 2026Trial
- Reduction of Burnout in VA Mental Health Providers: Beyond Self Care.Community mental health journal · 2026Article
- Refining acceptance and commitment therapy in daily life (ACT-DL) for clinical care: Optimization and mixed-methods evaluation of usability and implementation feasibility.Internet interventions · 2026Article
- Assessing the effectiveness of health checkup services in reducing depressive symptoms in older adults with chronic diseases: a community-based pre-post observational study.BMC public health · 2026Observational
- Quality in Use in Connected Mental Health: Protocol for a Systematic Mapping Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Application scope of knowledge graphs in nursing: a scoping review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Implementing Digital Tools for Mental Health Support in Young Individuals in Colombia: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Genie in the bottle? a qualitative study of general practitioners' perspectives and information needs concerning digital mental health applications in Germany.BMC primary care · 2025Article
- Examination of Patient and Provider Satisfaction, Benefits, and Challenges with Psychiatric Outpatient and Hospital-Based Telehealth Treatment during the COVID-19 Pandemic.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2025Article
- Post-pandemic mental health: Understanding the global psychological burden and charting future research priorities.World journal of psychiatry · 2025Review
- Digital Health Interventions for Depression and Anxiety in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Rapid Scoping Review.JMIR mental health · 2025Article
- Performance of Open-Source Large Language Models in Psychiatry: Usability Study Through Comparative Analysis of Non-English Records and English Translations.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Health Care Workers' Experience With a Psychological Self-Monitoring App During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Article
- Engaging Stakeholders in the Development of a National Digital Mental Health Strategy: Reflexive Thematic Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Association Between Telehealth Initiation Of Stimulant Therapy And New Substance Use Disorder Diagnoses.Health affairs (Project Hope) · 2025Article
- Development of Chatbot-Based Oral Health Care for Young Children and Evaluation of its Effectiveness, Usability, and Acceptability: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2025Article
- Assessing Health Technology Literacy and Attitudes of Patients in an Urban Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.JMIR mental health · 2024Article
- Real time monitoring of respiratory viral infections in cohort studies using a smartphone app.iScience · 2024Article
- Clinical Use of Mental Health Digital Therapeutics in a Large Health Care Delivery System: Retrospective Patient Cohort Study and Provider Survey.JMIR mental health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAfter the rapid spread of the novel SARS-CoV-2, the short-term and long-term mental health impacts of the pandemic on the public, in particular on susceptible individuals, have been reported worldwide. Although digital mental health services expand accessibility while removing many barriers to in-person therapy, their usability, feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy require continued monitoring during the initial phase of the pandemic and its aftermath.
objectiveIn this study, we aimed to understand what mental health services are offered, whether they are practical or acceptable, and to what extent digital mental health services are effective in response to the COVID-19 pandemic across high-income and low- and middle-income countries.
methodsThis study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guideline. We implemented searches in PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, PsycINFO, and Cochrane databases for studies that were published between December 2019 and November 2021 and that involved the use of digital mental health services. Two review authors screened, assessed, and extracted studies independently. The protocol was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.
resultsThis review identified 7506 articles through database searching. In total, 65 (0.9%) studies from 18 countries with 67,884 participants were eligible for the scoping review. Of the 65 studies, 16 (24.6%) were included in the meta-analysis. A total of 15 (23.1%) studies measured the usability; 31 (47.7%) studies evaluated the feasibility; 29 (44.6%) studies assessed the acceptability; and 51 (78.5%) studies assessed the efficacy. Web-based programs (21/65, 32.3%), videoconferencing platforms (16/65, 24.6%), smartphone apps (14/65, 21.5%), and SMS text messaging (5/65, 7.7%) were the main techniques. Psychotherapy (44/65, 67.7%) followed by psychoeducation (6/65, 9.2%) and psychological support (5/65, 7.7%) were commonly used. The results of the meta-analysis showed that digital mental health interventions were associated with a small reduction in depressive symptoms (standardized mean difference=-0.49; 95% CI -0.74 to -0.24; P<.001) and a moderate reduction in anxiety symptoms (standardized mean difference=-0.66; 95% CI -1.23 to -1.0; P=.02) significantly.
conclusionsThe findings suggest that digital mental health interventions may be practical and helpful for the general population, at-risk individuals, and patients with preexisting mental disorders across high-income and middle-income countries. An expanded research agenda is needed to apply different strategies for addressing diverse psychological needs and develop integrated mental health services in the post-COVID-19 era.
trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42022307695; https://tinyurl.com/2jcuwjym.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.