Factors Influencing the Engagement with Electronic Mental Health Technologies: A Systematic Review of Reviews.

Abstract

Mental disorders impact approximately one-third of the global population, affecting adults, children, and youth worldwide. Recently, electronic mental health (e-mental health) technologies have been proposed to facilitate the provision of mental health care by professionals and other stakeholders, aiming to address the challenges associated with delivering mental health services. The objective of this study was to investigate the existing factors influencing engagement with e-mental health technologies. This study was a systematic review of existing reviews conducted in 2024. PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, and Cochrane databases were searched. The authors assessed the quality of the studies using the CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Programme) Checklist. Subsequently, they extracted and analyzed the data, utilizing the Boyatzis thematic analysis approach. The systematic review resulted in 15 papers, all of which exhibited an acceptable level of quality and risk of bias. The thematic analysis classified the data into five main themes: 'Technical', 'Ethical and Legal', 'Clinical', 'Organizational', and 'Social'. The study underscored the significance of ensuring accessibility, affordability, and reimbursement to effectively engage patients with e-mental health services. Additionally, transparency-facilitated by self-certification and user involvement-alongside critical factors like informed consent and privacy safeguards, was presented as playing a pivotal role in the process. Moreover, facilitators, including tailored interventions that consider the specific needs of particular groups and temporary project teams composed of individuals working together on specific initiatives, were identified as essential contributors. Overall, the factors influencing engagement with e-mental health technologies and potential solutions for enhancing such engagement appear to be interconnected.