ArticleResearch involvement and engagement2026
Community engagement and involvement in developing a community-based signposting tool for mental distress.
Article in Research involvement and engagement, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCommon mental health conditions are increasing in England, with growing severity and unmet need. Evidence shows that mental wellbeing is strongly shaped by wider social determinants such as income, housing, employment, and relationships. Conventional clinical approaches may not adequately address these underlying factors, highlighting the need for preventative, community-based solutions.
aimThis paper describes the community involvement and engagement (CEI) approach used to develop CoSign, a digital signposting tool designed to help individuals identify social determinants contributing to mental distress and access appropriate community support. INVOLVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT APPROACH: The development of CoSign incorporated CEI throughout the research process, guided by the INVOLVE research-cycle framework and the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation. A total of 29 stakeholders-including healthcare professionals, voluntary sector representatives, policymakers, and individuals with lived experience-contributed through workshops, consultations, and collaborative activities. Engagement focused on shaping the tool's design, content, accessibility, and implementation considerations. ACTIVITIES AND IMPACT: Stakeholder input informed key aspects of CoSign, including the identification of relevant domains of need, refinement of language to improve accessibility, and the structure of the user experience. Practical considerations, such as service capacity, inclusivity, and potential barriers to engagement, were highlighted and addressed. The resulting web-based tool enables users to self-identify areas of social need and receive tailored signposting to community resources. CEI enhanced the relevance, acceptability, and usability of the tool.
conclusionMeaningful community involvement is essential in developing accessible, preventative mental health tools grounded in real-world needs. However, challenges such as limited resources, stakeholder fatigue, and equity in participation must be managed. The CoSign project demonstrates the value of CEI while underscoring the importance of flexible, context-sensitive approaches to engagement.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.