BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN NAME:PhD defence J. Abi Ramia METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20261016T094500 DTEND:20261016T111500 DTSTAMP:20261016T094500 UID:phd-defence-j-abi-ramia@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20261022T015546 LOCATION:Main building VU, 1105, Aula, De Boelelaan, 1081 HV, Amsterdam SUMMARY:PhD defence J. Abi Ramia X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Moving a digital men tal health intervention from research to a national scale in Lebanon.

Digital mental health care reaches thousands of people in Lebanon

Abi Ramia’s research shows that digital care c an increase access to psychological support, especially where such he lp is scarce or difficult to access. In Lebanon, Step-by-Step has since evolved from a research project into a national service, and more than 6,000 people have used the service. Users can receive f ree, remote, evidence-based support, guided by a trained care provide r.

A key finding is that success does not depend solely on the effectiveness of the intervention itself. Cultural and local adaptati on, user involvement in the design, and integration with the existing healthcare system are at least as important. Factors such as interne t access, smartphone availability, new crises, and changing personal circumstances also influence usage.

It is also striking that st opping use of an app does not automatically mean that the treatment i s no longer effective. Users can continue to apply the skills they le arn during the program even outside the app. According to the study, digital interventions should therefore not be evaluated solely based on duration of use or dropout rates, but also through users’ experi ences.

The results offer practical lessons for countries seekin g to implement digital mental health care on a larger scale. In addit ion to technological solutions, this requires funding, personnel, law s and regulations, collaboration, and structural integration into the healthcare system.

The findings from Abi Ramia’s research ha ve since been incorporated into new practical WHO guidelines for psyc hological self-help. Furthermore, the Lebanese approach received inte rnational recognition in 2023 with a UN award for digital innovation in addressing noncommunicable diseases.

More information about the dissertation.

DESCRIPTION: Moving a digital mental health intervention from research to a national scale in Lebanon.

Digital mental health ca re reaches thousands of people in Lebanon

A digital trea tment for depression and anxiety can be deployed on a large scale eve n in a country with an overburdened and crisis-stricken healthcare sy stem. This is evident from the doctoral research conducted by Jinane Abi Ramia, a professional in public mental health care, on the implem entation of Step-by-Step, a digital intervention guided by t he World Health Organization (WHO).Abi Ramia’s research shows that digital care can increase access to psychological support, especially where such help is scarce or difficult to access. In Lebanon, St ep-by-Step has since evolved from a research project into a nati onal service, and more than 6,000 people have used the service. Users can receive free, remote, evidence-based support, guided by a traine d care provider.A key finding is that success does not depend solely on the effectiveness of the intervention itself. Cultural and local a daptation, user involvement in the design, and integration with the e xisting healthcare system are at least as important. Factors such as internet access, smartphone availability, new crises, and changing pe rsonal circumstances also influence usage.It is also striking that st opping use of an app does not automatically mean that the treatment i s no longer effective. Users can continue to apply the skills they le arn during the program even outside the app. According to the study, digital interventions should therefore not be evaluated solely based on duration of use or dropout rates, but also through users’ experi ences.The results offer practical lessons for countries seeking to im plement digital mental health care on a larger scale. In addition to technological solutions, this requires funding, personnel, laws and r egulations, collaboration, and structural integration into the health care system.The findings from Abi Ramia’s research have since been incorporated into new practical WHO guidelines for psychological self -help. Furthermore, the Lebanese approach received international reco gnition in 2023 with a UN award for digital innovation in addressing noncommunicable diseases.More information about the dissertat ion. END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR