Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40692854›Full record

ArticleGlobal mental health (Cambridge, England)2025

Piloting competency assessments for an evidence-based brief psychological intervention with Arabic-speaking non-specialists in Switzerland.

Mahmoud Hemmo, Aemal Akhtar, Brandon A Kohrt, Gloria Pedersen, Abdul Fattah Alkamel, Chantal Martin Sölch, Alison Schafer, Julia Spaaij, Richard Bryant, Naser Morina

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Global mental health (Cambridge, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Mahmoud HemmoDepartment of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2958-0702
Aemal AkhtarSchool of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8510-3636
Brandon A KohrtCenter for Global Mental Health Equity, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3829-4820
Gloria PedersenCenter for Global Mental Health Equity, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3427-3464
Abdul Fattah AlkamelDepartment of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Chantal Martin SölchDepartment of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3859-9023
Alison SchaferDepartment of Mental Health, Brain Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4869-8607
Julia SpaaijDepartment of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6979-3489
Richard BryantSchool of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9607-819X
Naser MorinaDepartment of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6470-4408

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The global challenge of closing the treatment gap highlights the need for innovative interventions. Problem Management Plus (PM+), developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), is an evidence-based brief psychological intervention designed to address this gap by involving non-specialist helpers. In this study, 'non-specialists' or 'helpers' are individuals without formal training in mental health, who have been trained in and have been delivering individual PM+ for more than 1.5 years. To enhance quality in mental health care, especially with non-specialists, WHO and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) have launched the Ensuring Quality in Psychosocial and Mental Health Care (EQUIP) platform, an open-access resource for competency-based training. This study evaluates the acceptability and preliminary utility of EQUIP assessment tools. Thirteen helpers were assessed using the ENhancing Assessment of Common Therapeutic Factors (ENACT) and the PM+ assessment tool, culturally adapted and translated for Arabic-speaking helpers in Switzerland. The results indicate that the EQUIP tools can identify strengths and areas for improvement, provide valuable feedback for training, and thus have great potential for enhancing mental health care quality.

Indexed as

competency assessmentEQUIPmental health psychosocial support (MHPSS)non-specialist mental health careProblem Management Plus (PM+)

Identifiers

PMID40692854
PMCPMC12277206

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.