Combining mobile health and nurse care to help people with serious mental illness in West Africa
Official title: Combining mHealth and nurse-delivered care to improve the outcomes of people with seriousmental illness in West Africa
Funded at University of Washington · NIH-11543418 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A bowl of care for people with serious mental illness in West Africa uses mobile health tools and nurse-delivered care to improve outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | August 5, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $235,670 |
| NIH project number | 3R01MH127531-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11543418 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults in West Africa diagnosed with serious mental illness, including bipolar disorder, who receive care from traditional healers or are within healer-influenced care networks.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without access to mobile technology or those not engaged with healer networks may derive less benefit.
What this research studies
This project partners with communities in West Africa to support people with serious mental illness by training healers to provide evidence-based psychosocial care through a mobile health program, while patients receive pharmacotherapy with nurse involvement. It aims to bridge the gap between traditional healing practices and modern mental health treatment, improving safety, dignity, and access to care. The approach blends community-based support with clinically guided treatment to reduce disability and stigma for people living with bipolar disorder and related conditions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could experience better symptom management, more consistent care, and reduced disability.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests community- and mobile-based approaches can improve engagement and adherence in similar settings, though this exact model is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Washington
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ben-Zeev, Dror — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Ben-Zeev, Dror
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.