Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40803721›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Exploring the feasibility and acceptability of DIALOG+ (a structured digital communication tool) in strengthening psychiatric care in India and Pakistan: a qualitative pilot study.

Onaiza Qureshi, Kasthuri Divya, Mehwish Dawood, Syjo Davis, Lakshmi Venkatraman, Maria Baig, Krishna Priya, Renata Peppl, Manikandan Pari, Padmavati Ramachandran and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 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

15 authors.

Onaiza QureshiInteractive Research & Development, Karachi, Pakistan onaiza.qureshi@ird.global.
Kasthuri DivyaSchizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Mehwish DawoodInteractive Research & Development, Karachi, Pakistan.
Syjo DavisSchizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Lakshmi VenkatramanSchizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8685-8662
Maria BaigInteractive Research & Development, Karachi, Pakistan.
Krishna PriyaSchizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Renata PepplUnit for Social and Community Psychiatry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8246-3628
Manikandan PariSchizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Padmavati RamachandranSchizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0380-8617
Aneeta PashaInteractive Research & Development, Karachi, Pakistan.
Sana Zehra SajunUnit for Social and Community Psychiatry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2765-6969
Hufsa SarwarInteractive Research & Development, Karachi, Pakistan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-1703-8654
Areeba ShahabInteractive Research & Development, Karachi, Pakistan.
Victoria Jane BirdUnit for Social and Community Psychiatry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2053-7679

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo assess the implementation feasibility and acceptability of a structured digital psychosocial communication tool (DIALOG+) to strengthen the quality of person-centric care in psychiatric settings within Pakistan and India.

designA hybrid inductive and thematic qualitative analysis using individual interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs).

settingTwo psychiatric hospitals (Karwan-e-Hayat and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre) in Karachi, Pakistan and one psychiatric care organisation (Schizophrenia Research Foundation) in Chennai, India

participantsInterviews were conducted with 8 mental health clinicians and 40 patients who completed the DIALOG+ pilot as well as wider stakeholders, that is, 12 mental health clinical providers, 15 caregivers of people with psychosis and 13 mental health experts.

interventionA technology-assisted communication tool (DIALOG+) to structure routine meetings and inform care planning, consisting of monthly sessions over a period of 3 months. The intervention comprises a self-reported assessment of patient satisfaction and quality of life on eight holistic life domains and three treatment domains, followed by a four-step solution-focused approach to address the concerns raised in chosen domains for help. OUTCOME MEASURES: Key insights for the implementation feasibility and acceptability of DIALOG+ were assessed qualitatively using inductive thematic analysis of 22 IDIs and 8 FGDs with 54 individuals.

resultsClinicians and patients ascribed value to the efficiency and structure that DIALOG+ introduced to consultations but agreed it was challenging to adopt in busy outpatient settings. Appointment systems and selective criteria for who is offered DIALOG+ were recommended to better manage workload. Caregiver involvement in DIALOG+ delivery was strongly emphasised by family members, along with pictorial representation and relevant life domains by patients to enhance the acceptability of the DIALOG+ approach.

conclusionFindings highlight that the feasibility of implementing DIALOG+ in psychiatric care is closely tied to strategies that address clinician workload. Promoting institutional ownership in strengthening resource allocation is essential to reduce the burden on mental health professionals in order to enable them to provide more patient-centric and holistic care for people with psychosis. Further research is required to explore the appropriateness of including caregivers in DIALOG+ delivery to adapt to communal cultural attitudes in South Asia.

Indexed as

CommunicationMental Health ServicesAdultFeasibility StudiesFemaleFocus GroupsHumansIndiaInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle AgedPakistanPatient-Centered CarePatient SatisfactionPilot ProjectsQualitative ResearchPatient-Centered CarePSYCHIATRYPsychosocial InterventionQUALITATIVE RESEARCHSchizophrenia & psychotic disorders

Identifiers

PMID40803721
PMCPMC12352267

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.