Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42235059›Full record

ArticleJMIR human factors2026

Early Deployment of an Integrated Digital Platform (shamiriOS) for Scalable Youth Mental Health Service Delivery in Kenya: Development and Usability Study.

Shadrack Lilan, Tom L Osborn, Wendy Mmbone, Jean Kasudi, Benny Otieno, Ichami Etyang, Jianing Tu, Edmund Korley, Christine Wasanga

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR human factors, 2026. 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

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

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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

9 authors.

Shadrack LilanShamiri Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.ORCID 0009-0009-0387-5084
Tom L OsbornShamiri Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.ORCID 0000-0002-9092-1035
Wendy MmboneShamiri Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.ORCID 0000-0001-7987-3944
Jean KasudiShamiri Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.ORCID 0009-0002-2614-5251
Benny OtienoShamiri Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.ORCID 0009-0008-2817-1748
Ichami EtyangShamiri Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
Jianing TuColumbia University, New York, NY, United States.
Edmund KorleyThe Agency Fund, San Francisco, CA, United States.ORCID 0009-0009-3289-644X
Christine WasangaShamiri Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.ORCID 0000-0003-4222-9471

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundScaling youth mental health services in low-resource settings requires digital infrastructure that supports not just clinical delivery but the full operational, supervisory, and engagement demands of community-based, task-shifted models. Existing platforms-whether commercial health systems, open-source medical records, or consumer-facing wellness apps-address fragments of this need, but none provide the integrated, offline-capable, and affordable architecture required for lay-provider delivery at scale.

objectiveWe introduce shamiriOS, an open-source, modular digital platform comprising 3 interlinked suites-the Shamiri Digital Hub (SDH) for operational management, Rafi for youth engagement, and the Shamiri Provider Platform (SPP) for clinical workflows-designed for scalable, stepped-care youth mental health delivery in Kenya. Our objectives were (1) to conduct an environmental scan of existing platforms and characterize their limitations, (2) to describe the user-centered design and development of shamiriOS, and (3) to report early deployment outcomes across centralized and decentralized settings between 2023 and 2024.

methodsWe conducted a structured environmental scan of 6 case management platforms and 28 youth-facing mental health apps, assessing cost, usability, open-source availability, customizability, offline capability, and suitability for task-shifted delivery. Based on identified gaps, SDH was built as a browser-based operation platform, and Rafi was developed as a native mobile app (Android or iOS) with an offline-first architecture. The SPP was adapted from an existing electronic medical record system. Development followed a user-centered design process with community consultation, including cocreation workshops with 77 university-aged youths. Deployment was evaluated using use analytics, usability ratings, and Net Promoter Scores.

resultsNo reviewed platform met the combined requirements for stepped-care delivery. SDH was deployed across 11 sites serving 76,344 youths via 1195 lay providers and 111 clinical supervisors by Q1 2024. Staff reported high satisfaction (usability: mean 8.36/10, SD 1.49; Net Promoter Score: mean 8.63/10, SD 1.46). Rafi achieved 74.7% (n=3737) registration at Mount Kenya University, with 50.4% (508/1008) booking therapy sessions, but sustained engagement with self-guided features declined to near 0 by 9 months.

conclusionsshamiriOS demonstrates the feasibility of building modular, open-source digital infrastructure for scalable, task-shifted youth mental health delivery. Its component-based architecture is designed for adaptation to other contexts, though extension would require participatory redesign. The most significant obstacles to impact lie not in platform design but in implementation readiness, incentive alignment, and institutional integration. Future priorities include SPP deployment, artificial intelligence-assisted supervision features (shamiriAI), and strengthening sustained engagement.

Indexed as

Mental Health ServicesAdolescentDigital HealthHumansKenyaAI in mental healthartificial intelligencedigital health platformsdigital mental healthimplementation scienceKenyalow- and middle-income countriesopen-source platformsstepped-caretask-shiftingyouth mental health

Identifiers

PMID42235059
PMCPMC13276469

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LicenceCC BY
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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.