About the Project
The overall aim of the study is to design an innovative and cost-effective e-mental health platform (e-Ruhuka), that will support mental health service delivery, and promote mental health literacy through online psychoeducation in Rwanda. The first phase of the project will develop the architecture of the e-Ruhuka platform that is intended to be tested, implemented, and scaled up during subsequent phases of the project.
Specific Aims
Specific Aim 1
Design and implement a user-friendly web-based application to facilitate mental health literacy, awareness, service provision, accessibility, and usability. This will increase and improve the efficacy and efficiency of clinical care on behalf of the users as well as the mental health care practitioners.
Specific Aim 2
Test the acceptability and usability of the developed e-Ruhuka in comparison with conventional mental health care. The platform is hypothesized to respond to the underlying evidence data gap and limited access to mental health service by developing an online community mental health support program and to avail a monitoring and evaluation framework working alongside national mental health system with structures to address limitations encountered during provision of mental health services.
Specific Aim 3
Measure the effectiveness of e-Ruhuka in local communities and establish a strong evidence-based approach concerning the effectiveness of online approaches for mental health services provision and reduction of stigma to inform national policies and practices related to the provision of mental health services.
Approach
Qualitative
The study will collect qualitative data from both focused group discussions (FGDs) and semi-structured interviews with both clinicians/mental health practitioners and mental health service end-users. This will help in providing an in-depth understanding of their knowledge, perception and attitudes towards the developed e-mental health platform and their acceptability of the developed tool.
Quantitative
The study will collect quantitative data, by using a questionnaire at the beginning of the use of the platform. Every participant registered to use the platform will need to respond to the questions indicating their level of knowledge about mental health and their mental health status. At the completion of the process, the same participants will respond to the satisfaction questionnaire which will be developed to test the effectiveness and satisfaction with the use of the platform. The collected quantitative data will be coded, grouped and analyzed using R Statistical Software.
Participants
The sampling frame to be used in this study will be a non-clinical and clinical sample composed of mental health and psychosocial support end-users who will use the developed platform after responding to the questionnaire assessing its usability. They will be selected using stratified sampling and purposive sampling methods to create Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The project will be piloted in Gasabo District, Kacyiru and Bumbogo sectors (urban and rural areas selected randomly). Gasabo District was presented as having the highest prevalence of people having mental health disorders i.e, 36.7% (RMH, 2018).
Sample Size
A purposive non-probability judgment sampling (Black, 2010) will be used for recruiting participants in this study, with the aim of reaching enough participants and diverse groups. Participants will be selected from people aged between 18-65 years old. The minimum age was determined because a consent form must be signed by an individual who is at least 18 years old while the maximum of 65 years old was chosen by referring to age inclusion criteria of RMHS participants in 2018. People aged between 18-65 in the Kinyinya (urban) and Rutunga (rural) sectors of Gasabo will be selected purposely, as they have the largest female population in the least populated sectors of Gasabo. This is based on the findings of the 2018 RMHS which indicated a higher prevalence of mental health problems in females than in male counterparts.
Our Expert Team
Prof. Vincent Sezibera
Principal Investigator
Director – Centre for Mental Health
University of Rwanda
Prof. Celetin Twizere
Co-PI
Director – CEBE
University of Rwanda
Yohani
RBC
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