Mobile phone support plus nurse care to help people with serious mental illness in West Africa
Combining mHealth and nurse-delivered care to improve the outcomes of people with seriousmental illness in West Africa
['FUNDING_R01'] · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · NIH-11387289
This project uses a phone-based training for healers together with nurses who bring medications and care to help people with bipolar disorder and other serious mental illnesses in West Africa get safer, more respectful treatment.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (SEATTLE, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11387289 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
You would join a local program that partners with traditional and faith healers and visiting nurses in West African communities. A mobile health tool (M-Healer) trains healers to use safer, evidence-based psychosocial approaches while preserving dignity. Nurses provide pharmacotherapy and clinical follow-up directly to patients in community or prayer-camp settings. Researchers will track symptoms, safety, and everyday functioning to see if the combined approach improves care close to home.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with bipolar disorder or other serious mental illnesses who live in participating West African communities or receive care from local traditional or faith healers would be the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People living outside the participating regions, those without access to mobile phones or local program sites, or those needing immediate inpatient psychiatric hospitalization may not benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could increase access to respectful, safer mental health care, reduce harmful practices, and improve symptoms and daily functioning for people with bipolar disorder in the region.
How similar studies have performed: Training lay providers and using mobile health in low-resource settings has shown promise for improving access and symptoms, but combining healer training with nurse-delivered medication in West Africa is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
SEATTLE, UNITED STATES
- 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 below.
Conditions: Bipolar Disorder