Improving patient engagement in digital mental health treatments.

Toward optimizing digital mental health interventions: A clinical trial aimed at understanding what drives patient engagement.

NIH-funded research Brigham and Women's Hospital · NIH-10821452

This study is looking for ways to help people with depression and anxiety stay engaged with online mental health tools by using friendly reminders and some light support from real people, and it will involve patients in primary care to see what works best.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionBrigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Boston, United States)
Project IDNIH-10821452 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This research investigates how to enhance patient engagement with digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) for depression and anxiety. It aims to identify effective strategies, such as automated motivational messaging and light-touch human support, to keep patients involved without requiring extensive human resources. The study will involve user-centered design and a clinical trial with primary care patients to test these engagement strategies and understand the factors that influence their effectiveness.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this research are primary care patients experiencing depression and/or anxiety.

Not a fit: Patients who do not have access to digital devices or the internet may not benefit from this research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more effective and widely used digital treatments for mental health issues, improving patient outcomes.

How similar studies have performed: Previous research has shown promise in using digital interventions for mental health, but this specific approach to enhancing engagement is relatively novel.

Where this research is happening

Boston, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.