Rowan M. Abuyadek, Esraa Abdellatif Hammouda, Ehab Elrewany, Dina Hussein Elmalawany, Rasha Ashmawy, Sally Zeina, Assem Gebreal & Ramy Mohamed Ghazy
Abstract
Background Mental disorders are currently a global public health concern, particularly after the coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Mental health services gradually transitioned to teleservices, employing various methods
like texting and videoconferencing. This meta-analysis aimed mainly to quantify the acceptability of tele-mental
health services among both beneficiaries and providers. Secondary objectives included quantifying the usability of
and satisfaction with these services.
Methods We conducted a systematic search of the following databases PubMed Central, SAGE, Google Scholar,
Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed Medline, and EBSCO according to Preferred Reporting Items of the Systematic
Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines until December 2022.
Results Out of 3366 search results, 39 studies fully met the inclusion criteria. The pooled acceptability of tele-mental
health services among beneficiaries was [71.0% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 63.0 −78.5%, I2=98%]. Using
meta-regression, four key factors contributed to this heterogeneity (R2=99.75%), namely, year of publication, type of
mental disorder, participant category, and the quality of included studies. While acceptability among providers was
[66.0% (95%CI, 52.0 −78.0%), I2=95%]. The pooled usability of tele-mental health services among participants was
[66.0% (95%CI, 50.0 −80.0%), I2=83%]. Subgroup analysis revealed statistically significant results (p=0.003), indicating
that usability was higher among beneficiaries compared to providers.
Conclusions The study highlighted a high acceptability of tele-mental health services. These findings suggest a
promising outlook for the integration and adoption of tele-mental health services and emphasize the importance of
considering user perspectives and addressing provider-specific challenges to enhance overall service delivery and
effectiveness.
Keywords Internet based, Mental health, Tele-mental health, Health service users, Acceptability, Telehealth,
Telemedicine
