JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

E-mental health (EMH) interventions are an increasing topic of research interest including in inpatient settings. These interventions provide accessibility and convenience, empowering individuals to take an active role in managing their mental health. By utilizing personalized tools and resources, digital interventions can improve efficacy in delivering mental health care. Ultimately, they could offer a promising solution to the increasing need for mental health services.

Objective:

The objective of this scoping review is provide an overview on the range, extent and type of digital mental health interventions before, during, and after inpatient care in recent years, and to identify current gaps of literature.

Methods:

The databases PubMed, WebOfScience and ScienceGov were searched. A second search was conducted in August 2024. Included were peer-reviewed studies published between 1st January 2015 and 1st March 2025 identified in three search rounds, with adult patients and receiving EMH-based care before, during or after inpatient treatment published in English or German and available to the authors. Studies were assessed by four independent raters and key information was summarized in shared documents.

Results:

Research on digital interventions in the context of inpatient mental health care increased over the years. Some interventions have been tested in multiple studies. Most included studies were conducted in aftercare or interventions blending digital and face-to-face inpatient treatment. Many studies have assessed a control group in their examination and predominantly positive effects of digital inpatient and aftercare interventions have been found. In general, positive acceptance has been examined among patients as well as clinicians, which has been studied with questionnaires and through interviews. Technical barriers and missing infrastructure have been reported. Although, many studies have been carried out with small sample sizes. Low adherence remained a consistent limitation. Some aspects, such as inpatient preparation and EMH adherence interventions, showed promise but were lacking in research. The majority of studies have been carried out in Germany, followed by the United States.

Conclusions:

Research on the implementation of digital interventions before, during, or after inpatient care has been increasing in recent years, with initial promising results. Studies involving greater sample sizes and with more diverse patient groups need to be planned for the future. However, there are already indications that digital interventions can help maintain treatment benefits and somewhat improve symptoms for patients requiring inpatient treatment. Acceptance of EMH interventions is predominantly moderate to high, with structural issues stated as the most common barrier to use and acceptance.