Health professionals’ perceptions of the South African adapted online Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale – Revised: properties, implementation, and context

Abstract

Health professionals are key role players in the uptake of digital mental health tools; however, research on mental health e-Screening tools largely focuses on psychometrics and tool users’ views. There is currently only one online depression screening tool validated for the South African general public: the adapted online Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale – Revised. Because practitioners’ perceptions of the tool are lacking, this qualitative study explored health professionals’ perceptions of its properties and potential implementation. Seven participants, consisting of clinical psychologists, counselling psychologists, nurses, and medical doctors in public and private practice in the Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and Western Cape provinces, were purposively recruited. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted, and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis yielded four themes: (Mis)fit for Purpose; Living in a (Virtue)al Reality?; Human Meets Machine; and A Targeted Approach. The findings demonstrate that the online screening tool has several positive properties and can be improved further with minor additions to contextualise some items and anticipate privacy risks. The tool can be integrated into practice to complement patient consultations in certain circumstances as deemed appropriate by practitioners. These findings provide initial insights into how the South African adapted online Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale – Revised can be usefully implemented and act as a guide for further tool refinement.