TY  - JOUR
TI  - Methodological appraisal of digital psychiatry readiness among Pakistani psychiatrists: gaps and recommendations
AU  - Rizvi, Syeda Bushra
AU  - Rehman, Khansa
AU  - Idrees, Mohammad
AU  - Tariq, Umema
AU  - Tahir, Hasan Nawaz
PY  - 2026
JO  - Exploration of Digital Health Technologies
VL  - 4
SP  - 101193
DO  - 10.37349/edht.2026.101193
UR  - https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/edht/Article/101193
AB  - This letter offers a critical appraisal of Riaz et al.’s study (Explor Digit Health Technol. 2026;4:101179. DOI: 10.37349/edht.2026.101179) on psychiatrists’ knowledge, perceptions, and willingness toward digital psychiatry in Pakistan. The mixed-methods design identifies critical gaps in competencies (e.g., 68.5% telepsychiatry familiarity vs. 32.5% VR) and barriers like infrastructure deficits (44.5%). However, methodological issues per STROBE guidelines such as absent response rates, convenience sampling bias, and incomplete bias mitigation limit representativeness. An adapted Newcastle-Ottawa Scale scores it 7/10, indicating moderate bias of risk from selection and non-response. Additional concerns include under-explored cultural factors. Recommendations propose a tailored LMIC digital health adoption framework emphasizing infrastructure, training, and policy to address Pakistan’s > 75% mental health treatment gap.
ER  -