Background: Corporate wellness programs are increasingly using digital technologies to promote employee health. Digital wellness programs (DWPs) refer to initiatives that deliver health interventions through digital tools. Despite a growing body of evidence on DWPs, the literature remains fragmented across multiple health domains. Objective: This study aims to provide a comprehensive synthesis of existing research on the efficacy (eg, impact on employee's physical health, mental well-being, behavioral changes, and absenteeism) and acceptability (eg, engagement, perceived usefulness, and adoption) of employer-provided DWPs. Specifically, we aim to map the extent, range, and nature of research on this topic; summarize key findings; identify gaps; and facilitate knowledge dissemination. Methods: We conducted a meta-review of studies published between 2000 and 2023. We adopted a database-driven search approach, including the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ProQuest Central, and Web of Science Core Collection databases. The inclusion criteria consisted of (1) review articles; (2) publications in English, French, or German; (3) studies reporting on digital health interventions implemented in organizations; (4) studies reporting on nonclinical or preclinical employee populations; and (5) studies assessing the efficacy and acceptability of employer-provided DWPs. We performed a descriptive numerical summary and thematic analysis of the included studies. Results: Out of 593 nonduplicate studies screened, 29 met the inclusion criteria. The most investigated health domains included mental health (n=19), physical activity (n=8), weight management (n=6), unhealthy behavior change (n=4), and sleep management (n=2). In total, 24 reviews focused on the efficacy of DWPs, primarily in relation to health-related outcomes (eg, stress and weight), while fewer reviews addressed organization-related outcomes (eg, burnout and absenteeism). Four reviews explored the mechanisms of action, and 3 assessed the acceptability of DWPs using various measures. Overall, the findings support the efficacy and acceptability of DWPs, although significant gaps persist, particularly regarding the durability of outcomes, the role of technology, and the causal mechanisms underlying behavioral change. Conclusions: While DWPs show promise across a variety of health domains, several aspects of their effectiveness remain underexplored. Practitioners should capitalize on existing evidence of successful DWPs while acknowledging the limitations in the literature.

Background: Population-wide newborn blood spot screening programmes are a successful public health intervention used to detect whether the baby is at risk of certain rare conditions, with the aim of earlier diagnosis and provision of optimal care and treatment. Evaluating candidate conditions to include in newborn blood spot and genetic sequencing raises questions regarding acceptability to parents/carers. Methods: In the context of the possible expansion of the newborn blood spot screening programme in the United Kingdom, this review aimed to systematically review research on the acceptability to parents of newborn blood spot screening and genetic sequencing. A protocol was developed prior to commencing the review and was registered on the PROSPERO database. A team of researchers carried out the review, with checking at all stages carried out by at least two individuals. We included research published after 2013 with participants who were pregnant or a recent parent of a newborn and were resident in a high-income country. We included quantitative and qualitative studies that investigated the acceptability to parents/carers of newborn blood spot screening or genetic sequencing. Quantitative studies were narratively synthesised, and theories/frameworks identified and evaluated. Qualitative studies were analysed for recurring themes, and a meta-synthesis was carried out to compare and contrast these two types of data. We quality appraised included articles using tools appropriate for their study design. Results: Searches were carried out in September to November 2023 and screening identified 25 relevant research articles. Just over half were from North America, with four existing reviews and nine qualitative studies. Domains of acceptability described in the literature were: support for screening; level of anxiety, information and knowledge; consent; views of the procedure; and support after screening. The research indicated consensus support for blood spot screening, and for expanding to some other conditions, although some parental anxiety was reported. Parents/carers mostly perceived that they had received sufficient information, but the timing of this could be improved. While parents indicated interest in genomic screening, studies highlighted the need for clearer consent procedures and greater support for parents following genomic screening than for blood spot screening. Only three included studies reported using any kind of theoretical framework. Discussion: Most parents/carers found newborn blood spot screening programmes to be acceptable and favoured their large-scale implementation. A minority of parents/carers expressed concerns regarding the acceptability of processes underpinning newborn blood spot screening, such as consent, the timing of receiving information and support available after testing. More research is needed regarding the acceptability of newborn genomic sequencing screening programmes, which are less established compared with newborn blood spot screening programmes. Limitations: The over-representation of studies conducted in the United States has implications for the applicability of findings to other countries where testing is not typically mandatory and health systems differ considerably. Most studies were of cross-sectional design and there was limited representation of people from lower incomes and non-white ethnicity. While the inclusion of studies only in populations of future or very recent parents provided coherence to the findings, unclear reporting of participants may have resulted in under- or overinclusion of some studies. Funding: This article presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme as award number NIHR159927.

BACKGROUND: Group trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT) is widely used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescents. However, the available evidence remains unclear. METHOD: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest Dissertations, LILACS, and international trial registers were searched from database inception to April 30, 2022. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared TF-CBT with any control condition for treating children and adolescents with PTSD. Analyses were performed using Review Manager version 5.3 and Stata 16.0. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020206096). RESULTS: Eleven RCTs involving 1942 patients were included. Group TF-CBT was significantly more effective than other treatments at post-treatment (standardized mean difference [SMD]: -0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.65 to -0.22), follow-up (SMD: -0.33, 95% CI: -0.52 to -0.13), and in relieving depressive symptoms (SMD: -0.29, 95% CI: -0.49 to -0.09), but not in terms of acceptability. Subgroup analyses showed that group TF-CBT was superior to other treatments in studies including children with post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) (SMD: -0.54, 95% CI: -0.79 to -0.28) and psychiatric comorbidities (SMD: -0.48, 95% CI: -0.72 to -0.23). LIMITATIONS: The small sample sizes of identified studies limited some findings. CONCLUSION: When considering effectiveness at post-treatment and follow-up or the reduction of depressive symptoms, group TF-CBT could be a good choice for children and adolescents with PTSD. Among these patients, those with PTSS or psychiatric comorbidities may benefit the most.

This review compared the efficacy and acceptability of different delivery formats for cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) in insomnia. We searched five databases for randomized clinical trials that compared one CBT-I delivery format against another format or control conditions for insomnia in adults. We used pairwise meta-analyses and frequentist network meta-analyses with the random-effects model to synthesize data. A total of 61 unique trials including 11,571 participants compared six CBT-I delivery formats with four control conditions. At post-intervention, with low to high certainty evidence, individual, group, guided self-help, digital assisted, and unguided self-help CBT-I could significantly increase sleep efficiency and total sleep time (TST) and reduce sleep onset latency (SOL), wake after sleep onset (WASO), and insomnia severity compared with treatment as usual (MD range for sleep efficiency: 7.81%-12.45%; MD range for TST: 16.14-33.96 min; MD range for SOL:-22.42 to-13.81 min; MD range for WASO:-40.84 to-19.48 min; MD range for insomnia severity:-6.40 to-3.93) and waitlist (MD range for sleep efficiency: 7.68%-12.32%; MD range for TST: 12.67-30.49 min; MD range for SOL:-19.07 to-10.46 min; MD range for WASO:-47.10 to-19.15 min; MD range for insomnia severity:-7.59 to-5.07). The effects of different CBT-I formats per-sisted at short-term follow-up (4 wk-6 mo). Individual, group, and digital assisted CBT-I delivery formats would be the more appropriate choices for insomnia in adults, based on post-intervention and short-term effects. Further trials are needed to investigate the long-term effects of different CBT-I formats. (c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND: Mental ill-health presents a major public health problem. A potential part solution that is receiving increasing attention is computer-delivered psychological therapy, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic as health care systems moved to remote service delivery. However, computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT) requires active engagement by service users, and low adherence may minimize treatment effectiveness. Therefore, it is important to investigate the acceptability of cCBT to understand implementation issues and maximize potential benefits. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to produce a critical appraisal of published reviews about the acceptability of cCBT for adults. METHODS: An umbrella review informed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology identified systematic reviews about the acceptability of cCBT for common adult mental disorders. Acceptability was operationalized in terms of uptake of, dropping out from, or completion of cCBT treatment; factors that facilitated or impeded adherence; and reports about user, carer, and health care professional experience and satisfaction with cCBT. Databases were searched using search terms informed by relevant published research. Review selection and quality appraisal were guided by the JBI methodology and the AMSTAR tool and undertaken independently by 2 reviewers. RESULTS: The systematic searches of databases identified 234 titles, and 9 reviews (covering 151 unique studies) met the criteria. Most studies were comprised of service users with depression, anxiety, or specifically, panic disorder or phobia. Operationalization of acceptability varied across reviews, thereby making it difficult to synthesize results. There was a similar number of guided and unguided cCBT programs; 34% of guided and 36% of unguided users dropped out; and guidance included email, telephone, face-to-face, and discussion forum support. Guided cCBT was completed in full by 8%-74% of the participants, while 94% completed one module and 67%-84% completed some modules. Unguided cCBT was completed in full by 16%-66% of participants, while 95% completed one module and 54%-93% completed some modules. Guided cCBT appeared to be associated with adherence (sustained via telephone). A preference for face-to-face CBT compared to cCBT (particularly for users who reported feeling isolated), internet or computerized delivery problems, negative perceptions about cCBT, low motivation, too busy or not having enough time, and personal circumstances were stated as reasons for dropping out. Yet, some users favored the anonymous nature of cCBT, and the capacity to undertake cCBT in one's own time was deemed beneficial but also led to avoidance of cCBT. There was inconclusive evidence for an association between sociodemographic variables, mental health status, and cCBT adherence or dropping out. Users tended to be satisfied with cCBT, reported improvements in mental health, and recommended cCBT. Overall, the results indicated that service users' preferences were important considerations regarding the use of cCBT. CONCLUSIONS: The review indicated that "one size did not fit all" regarding the acceptability of cCBT and that individual tailoring of cCBT is required in order to increase population reach, uptake, and adherence and therefore, deliver treatment benefits and improve mental health.

BACKGROUND: Most of patients with dementia are cared for by family members. Caring for people with dementia is challenging; approximately 30-55% of caregivers suffered from anxiety or depressive symptoms. A range of studies have shown that psychosocial interventions are effective and can improve caregivers' quality of life, reduce their care burden, and ease their anxiety or depressive symptoms. However, information on the acceptability of these interventions, despite being crucial, is under-reported. METHODS: Systematic searches of databases were conducted for literature published on EMBASE, PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and PsycARTICLES until August 2017 and the searches were updated on June 2018. The selection criteria included primary studies with data about the acceptability of psychosocial interventions for informal caregivers and publications written in English. Two authors independently selected studies, extracted study characteristics and data, assessed the methodological quality of the included studies by using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) Quality Assessment Tool and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Qualitative Research Checklist, and conducted a narrative synthesis of quantitative and qualitative data. RESULTS: A total of 10,610 abstracts were identified through systematic searches. Based on screening titles and abstracts, 207 papers were identified that met the criteria for full paper review, with 42 papers from 13 different countries meeting the inclusion criteria. We found high- and moderate-quality evidence showing psychosocial interventions were acceptable, with important benefits for caregivers. Facilitators of acceptability included caregivers' need for intervention, appropriate content and organization of the intervention, and knowledge and professionalism of the staff. Barriers to acceptability included participants' poor health status and low education levels, caregiving burden, change of intervention implementers, and poor system performance of interventions. CONCLUSION: There is preliminary evidence to support the acceptability of psychosocial interventions for dementia caregivers. However, the available supporting evidence is limited, and there is currently no adequate information from these studies indicating that the acceptability has received enough attention from researchers. More well-designed studies assessing psychosocial interventions are needed to give specific statements about acceptability, and the measure of acceptability with psychosocial interventions should be more comprehensive.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is likely to remain the most prevalent noncommunicable disease in high-income countries with an older population. Interestingly, no review of attitudes toward telemedicine among older adults has been performed. This is likely to be the group most affected by both cancer and the increasing use of technology in health care. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to map research on the acceptance of telemedicine among older adults who are cancer patients. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review. PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched from inception to September 2020. Articles were included if the study population had a mean or median age ≥65 years, with cancer diagnoses and if the study assessed patients' acceptance of a telemedicine intervention. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method studies were included. RESULTS: Out of a total of 887 articles that were identified, 19 were included in the review. Interventions were delivered via telephone, videoconference, web portal, mobile app, wearable technology, and text messaging and included teleconsultation, monitoring and follow-up, psychosocial support and nursing care, and prompts. The most often cited facilitating factor was convenience. Other facilitators included an increase in telemedicine care accessibility, previous positive experiences of telemedicine, appropriate technical knowledge and support, decreased cost, physician recommendations, and privacy conferred by the telemedicine intervention. Barriers include a preference for conventional care along with negative perceptions of telemedicine, concerns about technical difficulties, and confidentiality concerns in the adoption of telemedicine. CONCLUSIONS: None of the studies explored the ability of tailored interventions to address facilitators and barriers of the acceptance of telemedicine in order to increase its adoption by older adults. Facilitators and barriers will likely differ across different cultural contexts and by type of telemedicine; however, this is a gap in current knowledge. In-depth studies are necessary to determine if interventions could potentially address the barriers identified in this review, to increase acceptability.

BACKGROUND: Web-based interventions have proven to be effective not only in clinical populations but also in the occupational setting. Recent studies conducted in the work environment have focused on the effectiveness of these interventions. However, the role of employees' acceptability of web-based interventions and programs has not yet enjoyed a similar level of attention. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review was to conduct the first comprehensive study on employees' level of acceptability of web-based mental health interventions based on direct and indirect measures, outline the utility of different types of web-based interventions for work-related mental health issues, and build a research base in the field. METHODS: The search was conducted between October 2018 and July 2019 and allowed for any study design. The studies used either qualitative or quantitative data sources. The web-based interventions were generally aimed at supporting employees with their mental health issues. The study characteristics were outlined in a table as well as graded based on their quality using a traffic light schema. The level of acceptability was individually rated using commonly applied methods, including percentile quartiles ranging from low to very high. RESULTS: A total of 1303 studies were identified through multiple database searches and additional resources, from which 28 (2%) were rated as eligible for the synthesis. The results of employees' acceptability levels were mixed, and the studies were very heterogeneous in design, intervention characteristics, and population. Approximately 79% (22/28) of the studies outlined acceptability measures from high to very high, and 54% (15/28) of the studies reported acceptability levels from low to moderate (overlap when studies reported both quantitative and qualitative results). Qualitative studies also provided insights into barriers and preferences, including simple and tailored application tools as well as the preference for nonstigmatized language. However, there were multiple flaws in the methodology of the studies, such as the blinding of participants and personnel. CONCLUSIONS: The results outline the need for further research with more homogeneous acceptability studies to draw a final conclusion. However, the underlying results show that there is a tendency toward general acceptability of web-based interventions in the workplace, with findings of general applicability to the use of web-based mental health interventions.