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Dhaliwal R, Yap S, Talarico F, Al-Shamali H, Mcweeny R, Reeson M, Shalaby R, Chen T, Spronk E, Snodgrass R, Tu E, Erick T, Marshall T, Kennedy M, Greenshaw AJ, Winkler O, Burback L. Synchronous Web-Based Psychotherapy for Mental Disorders From a Health Quality Perspective: Scoping Review. J Med Internet Res 2023; 25:e40710. [PMID: 37921863 PMCID: PMC10656669 DOI: 10.2196/40710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid changes to health care delivery, including a shift from in-person to digitally delivered psychotherapy. While these changes helped ensure timely psychotherapy provision, many concerns exist, including clinical, cultural, practical, privacy, and security issues. OBJECTIVE This scoping review systematically mapped existing peer-reviewed research on synchronous, therapist-delivered web-based psychotherapy for individuals with a diagnosed mental illness. Data were analyzed through the lens of the Alberta Quality Matrix for Health (AQMH) to assess to what degree this literature addresses key indicators of health care quality. This analysis aided in the identification and organization of knowledge gaps with regard to web-based psychotherapies, highlighting potential disparities between previously prioritized dimensions of care and those requiring further attention. METHODS This review adhered to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. We included peer-reviewed primary research studies in the English language investigating synchronous, therapist-delivered remote psychotherapy delivered to adults (aged 18 years and older) with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or International Statistical Classification of Diseases diagnosed mental illness. All other citations were excluded. Relevant studies were identified through MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, Embase (OVID), Web of Science: Core Collection (Clarivate), Cochrane Library (Wiley), and Scopus (Elsevier) databases. Databases were searched on March 18, 2021. For every publication that was taken into consideration, the data were charted independently by 2 reviewers, and in the event of a discrepancy, the principal investigator validated the choice of either extractor. Results were thematically described according to the 6 AQMH dimensions: acceptability, accessibility, appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency, and safety. RESULTS From 13,209 publications, 48 articles were included, largely from North American studies. Most studies measured treatment effectiveness (n=48, 100%) and acceptability (n=29, 60%) health quality dimensions. Over 80% (40/48) of studies investigated either a cognitive or exposure intervention for either posttraumatic stress disorder or a mood or anxiety disorder, generally indicating comparable results to in-person therapy. Safety (n=5, 10%) was measured in fewer studies, while treatment accessibility, appropriateness, and efficiency were not explicitly measured in any study, although these dimensions were mentioned as a future direction, hypothesis, or potential outcome. CONCLUSIONS In relation to web-based therapist-delivered psychotherapies for those with a diagnosed mental illness, important aspects of health care quality (accessibility, appropriateness, efficiency, and safety) have received little scientific examination, underscoring a need to address these gaps. There are also significant issues related to the generalizability of this literature, including the underrepresentation of many geographic regions, cultures, populations, clinical contexts, and psychotherapy modalities. Qualitative research in underrepresented populations and settings may uncover important patient and contextual factors important for the future implementation of quality web-based psychotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raman Dhaliwal
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Sidney Yap
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Fernanda Talarico
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Huda Al-Shamali
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Robert Mcweeny
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Matthew Reeson
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Reham Shalaby
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Teresa Chen
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Elena Spronk
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Rayven Snodgrass
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Eileen Tu
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Taylor Erick
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Tyler Marshall
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Megan Kennedy
- Geoffrey and Robyn Sperber Health Sciences Library, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Andrew J Greenshaw
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Olga Winkler
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Lisa Burback
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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