Co-producing digital mental health interventions: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Mental Healthcare
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Smartphone applications (apps) show potential for improving mental healthcare access.
• User acceptability is a critical challenge in developing digital mental health interventions.
• Co-production with end-users and stakeholders is vital for enhancing uptake and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To overview co-production methods in designing, producing, and evaluating digital mental health interventions.
• To explore barriers and facilitators of co-production in this context.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review adhering to PRISMA guidelines.
• Searched five databases.
• Developed a co-produced quality appraisal tool with an expert by experience.
• Conducted a narrative synthesis.

Main Results:

• Twenty-six studies involving 24 digital mental health interventions were included.
• Co-production with end-users across all development stages was infrequent.
• Co-production improved cultural sensitivity and acceptability of interventions.
• Challenges included resource constraints, stakeholder variability, and power imbalances.

Conclusions:

• Approaches to co-producing digital mental health interventions vary significantly.
• Inconsistencies exist in stakeholder involvement, roles, and methods used.