Strategies for sustainable adoption of e-health tools for digital mental health services

Abstract

Orientation: The use of electronic (e-health) tools in digital mental health services (DMHS) at South African (SA) higher education institutions (HEIs) has rapidly increased because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Research purpose: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate how the university staff perceived the effectiveness of different strategies implemented for the sustainable adoption of e-health tools in DMHS. Motivation for the study: Despite the increasing availability of e-health tools, there is limited understanding of how university staff perceive the effectiveness of different sustainability strategies. Research approach/design and method: The study utilised a quantitative approach and surveyed 348 university staff at a SA HEI. Data analysis utilised descriptive statistics and one-sample t-tests. Main findings: The findings highlight funding, financial incentives, digital inclusion programmes and stakeholder engagement as crucial strategies for sustainable adoption. University staff emphasised the importance of training, digital health literacy campaigns, robust data privacy and security systems, and multilingual e-health services. In addition, hybrid e-health models and continuous evaluation emerged as essential strategies. Practical/managerial implications: University management should prioritise financial investments, stakeholder engagement and digital literacy programmes to improve the adoption of e-health tools. Strengthening data security, integrating hybrid service models and ensuring multilingual accessibility can further support sustainable DMHS. Contribution/value-add: This study provides evidence-based strategies for the sustainable adoption of e-health tools in SA HEIs, which thus enhance DMHS and inform policy and practice.