Building on a decade of collaboration between partners at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia/ APEC Digital Hub for Mental Health (Canada), the Institute of Population Health and Development-PHAD (Vietnam), the University of Melbourne (Australia) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), the VMood study seeks to improve access to depression care in Vietnamese communities using digital technology.
We previously tested an in-person Supported Self-Management (SSM) for Depression intervention for depression, delivered by lay social workers, in Vietnamese communities via a randomized controlled trial and found that it reduced symptoms of depression by 58% [Murphy et. al, 2020]. Based on the success of this study, the Government of Vietnam expressed interest in exploring digital mental options that would help to expand access to this evidence-based intervention is a more feasible and cost-effective way. The COVID-19 pandemic further underscored the need for and potential of digital mental health solutions to improve access to mental health care in resource constrained settings.
With funding from Grand Challenges Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, our team1 is currently adapting the SSM intervention for delivery via an app called VMood. Feasibility and fidelity testing of the app will take place in early 2023, followed by a randomized controlled trial to test its effectiveness compared with the in-person intervention in 96 communes across eight Vietnamese provinces. We will also conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis to support MOLISA to plan for scale-up of the intervention should the study demonstrate effectiveness.
This study is based on a long-standing collaboration between partners in Canada, Vietnam and Australia with the active participation and support of MOLISA. The strong government collaboration indicates great potential for scale-up of evidence-based, digital mental health care for depression across Vietnam. This study will also generate results that are relevant across the Asia Pacific, with the opportunity to adapt and scale-up evidence-based digital mental health interventions across the region.
1Led by Dr. John O’Neil (Principal Investigator) and Dr. Jill Murphy (Project Director/ Co-Investigator) in Canada; Dr. Nguyen Van Hoi (Co-Principal Investigator-MOLISA) and Dr. Vu Cong Nguyen (Co-Principal Investigator-PHAD) in Vietnam
Co-Investigators: Dr. Raymond Lam (Canada), Ms. Leena Chau (Canada), Dr. Kanna Hayashi (Canada), Dr. Hui Xie (Canada), Dr. Eugene Fiume (Canada), Dr. Harry Minas (Australia), Mr. Emanuel Krebs (Canada), Dr. Pham Thi Hai Ha (Vietnam), Dr. Nguyen Kim Viet (Vietnam)