Evidence mapPaperPMID 41585304Full record

ArticleDigital health

Digital delivery of a 6-month home-based empowerment program improves mental health in rural adults with chronic conditions: A single-arm prospective interventional trial.

Gabriela Ilie, Stuart Murphy, Cody MacDonald, Robert David Harold Rutledge

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Gabriela IlieDepartment of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; Nova Scotia Health, Halifax, NS, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1602-6374
Stuart MurphyFaculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Cody MacDonaldDepartment of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; Nova Scotia Health, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Robert David Harold RutledgeDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Mental health conditions commonly co-occur with chronic diseases, yet few evidence-based interventions are designed for rural populations or scalable within primary care. This study evaluated the mental health impact, clinical significance, and usability of a digitally delivered Personal Empowerment Program (PEP). Methods: This single-arm prospective interventional trial (October 2023-August 2025) enrolled 182 community-dwelling adults with ≥1 physician-diagnosed chronic condition in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. The six-month PEP program delivered daily digital modules via email and YouTube covering physical fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, sleep, and social connection, with weekly self-monitoring and monthly videoconferencing, optimized for low-bandwidth mobile access. The primary outcome was psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10); secondary outcomes included anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (CES-D). Generalized estimated equations assessed changes (baseline, 6, and 12 months). Results: A total of 115 participants (63.2%) completed 6- and 12-month K10 follow-up assessments. K10 scores declined by 3.00 points (95% CI:-4.05,-1.95) at 6 months and 3.60 (95% CI:-4.84,-2.36) at 12 months (both Conclusions: PEP demonstrates sustained mental health benefits and high usability within a scalable, low-bandwidth digital model, supporting equitable mental health care for rural adults with chronic conditions.

Indexed as

Chronic disease self-managementdigital health interventionhome-based interventionlow-bandwidth deliverymental healthpatient empowermentpsychological distressrural health equity

Identifiers

PMID41585304
PMCPMC12827924

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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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.