‘It’s a bit taboo’: a qualitative study of Norwegian adolescents’ perceptions of mental healthcare services

COVID-19 has caused a shortage of healthcare workers and has strained healthcare systems globally. Pre-registered healthcare students with training have a duty of care and can support the healthcare workforce. This study explored factors influencing the willingness of final-year nursing students to volunteer during the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of professional identity in volunteering as healthcare workers, and strategies to improve future volunteering uptakes and processes. A qualitative study using focus-group discussions was conducted. Final-year nursing students who volunteered, students who did not volunteer, and lecturers who supervised student volunteers were recruited. Interviews were conducted online, video-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis was used. The themes were “wavering thoughts on volunteering”, “bringing out ‘the nurse’ in students through volunteering” and “gearing up to volunteer”. Findings suggested the need to look beyond the simplicity of altruism to the role of professional identity, operational, and motivational factors to explain nursing students’ decision to volunteer and their volunteer behavior. Providing accommodation, monetary and academic-related incentives, supporting the transitionary phase from students to “professional volunteers”, promoting cohesive and positive staff–student volunteer relationships, and establishing a volunteer management team are strategies identified to improve volunteering uptake and operational processes. Our findings advocate strategic partnerships between hospitals/communities and academic institutions in providing various healthcare services during pandemics.

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Use of symptom checkers for COVID-19-related symptoms among university students: a qualitative study

BMJ Innovations ◽

10.1136/bmjinnov-2020-000498 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. bmjinnov-2020-000498

Author(s):

Stephanie Aboueid ◽

Samantha B Meyer ◽

James R Wallace ◽

Shreya Mahajan ◽

Teeyaa Nur ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Healthcare Systems ◽

Positive Experience ◽

Perceived Credibility ◽

Inductive Thematic Analysis

ObjectiveSymptom checkers are potentially beneficial tools during pandemics. To increase the use of the platform, perspectives of end users must be gathered. Our objectives were to understand the perspectives and experiences of young adults related to the use of symptom checkers for assessing COVID-19-related symptoms and to identify areas for improvement.MethodsWe conducted semistructured qualitative interviews with 22 young adults (18–34 years of age) at a university in Ontario, Canada. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using inductive thematic analysis.ResultsWe identified six main themes related to the decision of using a symptom checker for COVID-19 symptoms: (1) presence of symptoms or a combination of symptoms, (2) knowledge about COVID-19 symptoms, (3) fear of seeking in-person healthcare services, (4) awareness about symptom checkers, (5) paranoia and (6) curiosity. Participants who used symptom checkers shared by governmental entities reported an overall positive experience. Individuals who used non-credible sources reported suboptimal experiences due to lack of perceived credibility. Five main areas for improvement were identified: (1) information about the creators of the platform, (2) explanation of symptoms, (3) personalised experience, (4) language options, and (5) option to get tested.ConclusionsThis study suggests an increased acceptance of symptom checkers due to the perceived risks of infection associated with seeking in-person healthcare services. Symptom checkers have the potential to reduce the burden on healthcare systems and health professionals, especially during pandemics; however, these platforms could be improved to increase use.

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Interventions to promote psychiatric patients’ compliance to mental health treatment: A systematic review

Health SA Gesondheid ◽

10.4102/hsag.v19i1.799 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mosidi B. Serobatse ◽

Emmerentia Du Plessis ◽

Magdalena P. Koen

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Mental Health Professionals ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Psychiatric Patients ◽

Research Question ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Health Treatment

Background: Non-compliance to treatment remains one of the greatest challenges in mental healthcare services, and how to improve this remains a problem.Aim: The aim of this study was to critically synthesise the best available evidence from literature regarding interventions to promote psychiatric patients’ compliance to mental health treatment. The interventions can be made available for mental health professionals to use in clinical practice.Method: A systematic review was chosen as a design to identify primary studies that answered the following research question: What is the current evidence on interventions to promote psychiatric patients’ compliance to mental health treatment? Selected electronic databases were thoroughly searched. Studies were critically appraised and identifid as answeringthe research questions. Evidence extraction, analysis and synthesis were then conducted by means of evidence class rating and grading of strength prescribed in the American Dietetic Association’s manual.Results: The systematic review identifid several interventions that can improve patients’ compliance in mental health treatment, for example adherence therapy and motivational interviewing techniques during in-hospital stay.Conclusions: Conclusions were drawn and recommendations formulated for nursing practice, education and research.Agtergrond: Geen-samewerking met behandeling bly steeds een van die grootste uitdagings in geestesgesondheidsorgdienste, en genoegsame kennis oor hoe om dit te verbeter, is steeds ’n probleem.Doelwit: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die beskikbare bewyse vanuit literatuur aangaande intervensies ter bevordering van psigiatriese pasiënte se samewerking met geestesgesondheidsbehandeling krities te sintetiseer. Hierdie intervensies kan aan professionele gesondheidsorgpersoneel beskikbaar gestel word ter bevordering van psigiatriese pasiënte se samewerking met geestesgesondheidsbehandeling.Metode: ’n Sistematiese literatuuroorsig is gekies as die ontwerp om primêre studieste identifieer wat die volgende navorsingsvraag beantwoord: Wat is die huidige kennis ten opsigte van intervensies wat psigiatriese pasiënte se samewerking met geestesgesondheidsbehandeling bevorder?Resultate: Studies is ingesluit vir kritiese gehalte-beoordeling ten opsigte van metodologie, en is uiteindelik geïdentifieer as bronne van bewyse wat die literatuuroorsigvraag toepaslik beantwoord. Bewysonttrekking, -analise en -sintese is gedoen deur middel van die beoordeling van bewysklas en -gradering van bewyssterkte, soos voorgeskryf in die American Dietetic Association se handleiding. Die sistemiese literatuuroorsig het aangedui datdaar heelparty intervensies is wat psigiatriese pasiënte se samewerking met behandeling kan verbeter, byvoorbeeld samewerkingsterapie en motiveringsonderhoudstegnieke.Gevolgtrekking: Gevolgtrekkings is gemaak en aanbevelings is geformuleer vir die verpleegpraktyk, verpleegonderrig en navorsing in verpleging.

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Socio-Sexual Experiences and Access to Healthcare Among Informal PrEP Users in the Netherlands

AIDS and Behavior ◽

10.1007/s10461-020-03085-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mart van Dijk ◽

John B. F. de Wit ◽

Rebecca Kamps ◽

Thomas E. Guadamuz ◽

Joel E. Martinez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Behavior ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Well Being ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Interpretive Description ◽

Sex Partners ◽

Sex With Men ◽

Incorrect Information

AbstractThe aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of informal PrEP users regarding access to PrEP and PrEP-related healthcare, community responses, sexual behavior and well-being. We interviewed 30 men who have sex with men (MSM) in semi-structured online interviews between March and August 2018. Interviews were analyzed using interpretive description. Informal PrEP users were well informed about the use of PrEP, but sometimes did not make use of renal testing. Participants reported a lack of PrEP knowledge among healthcare providers, which limited their access to PrEP and put them at risk, as they received incorrect information. Although some participants reported negative reactions from potential sex partners, most received positive reactions and were sometimes seen as more desirable sex partners. PrEP healthcare services should not only be accessible to formal PrEP users, but also to PrEP users who procure PrEP informally.

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Understanding barriers to accessing mental health services for newcomers to Canada using Peterborough, Ontario, as an illustrative example

10.32920/ryerson.14657181.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nurun Layla Chowdhury

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Services ◽

Health Services ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Mental Illnesses ◽

Cultural Barriers ◽

Accurate Information

The quality of an individual’s mental health has a significant impact on their quality of life, as well as on the cost to society. Regular access to mental health services can help mitigate the risk factors of developing mental illnesses. This paper examines barriers to accessing mental health services, using the community of Peterborough, Ontario, as an example. Social, economic, and cultural barriers impact help-seeking amongst immigrants, putting them at a higher risk of developing mental disorders. The social determinants of mental health can be useful when developing policies aimed at improving utilization of mental healthcare services. Policy makers need to first focus on collecting accurate information on the population, and then developing targeted solutions to eliminate barriers such as language and employment that prevent help-seeking in immigrants.

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Health professionals’ perspectives on shared decision-making in secondary mental healthcare: a qualitative study

Journal of Mental Health ◽

10.1080/09638237.2021.2022608 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Chiu-Yi Lin ◽

Laoise Renwick ◽

Karina Lovell

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Shared Decision Making ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Shared Decision

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Telepsychiatry Use in Rural Areas in the United States

Journal of Information Technology Research ◽

10.4018/jitr.2020100101 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Alberto Coustasse ◽

Morgan Ruley ◽

Tonnie C. Mike ◽

Briana M. Washington ◽

Anna Robinson

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

United States ◽

Quality Of Care ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

The United States ◽

Access And Quality

Rural areas have experienced a higher than average shortage of healthcare professionals. Numerous challenges have limited access to mental health services. Some of these barriers have included transportation, number of providers, poverty, and lack of insurance. Recently, the utilization of telepsychiatry has increased in rural areas. The purpose of this review was to identify and coalesce the benefits of telepsychiatry for adults living in rural communities in the United States to determine if telepsychiatry has improved access and quality of care. The methodology for this study was a literature review that followed a systematic approach. References and sources were written in English and were taken from studies in the United States between 2004 and 2018 to keep this review current. Fifty-nine references were selected from five databases. It was found that several studies supported that telepsychiatry has improved access and quality of care available in rural environments. At the same time, telepsychiatry in mental healthcare has not been utilized as it should in rural adult populations due to lack of access, an overall shortage of providers, and poor distribution of psychiatrists. There are numerous benefits to implementing telepsychiatry in rural areas. While there are still barriers that prevent widespread utilization, telepsychiatry can improve mental health outcomes by linking rural patients to high-quality mental healthcare services that follow evidence-based care and best practices. Telepsychiatry utilization in rural areas in the United States has demonstrated to have a significant ability to transform mental health care delivery and clinician productivity. As technology continues to advance access, telepsychiatry will also advance, making access more readily available.

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“I have to provide for another life emotionally, physically and financially”: understanding pregnancy, motherhood and the future aspirations of adolescent mothers in KwaZulu-Natal South, Africa

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-020-03319-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Desiree Govender ◽

Saloshni Naidoo ◽

Myra Taylor

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Adolescent Pregnancy ◽

Adolescent Mothers ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Early Childbearing ◽

Body Experience ◽

Future Aspirations ◽

Healthcare Needs ◽

Kwazulu Natal

Abstract Background Adolescent pregnancy and motherhood has been a controversial and much disputed subject within the field of public health. Early childbearing is not only characterized as a physical body experience but also embodies the experiences and perceptions of the social norms, discourses, conflict and moral judgement. There is an increasing concern that the psychosocial challenges facing adolescent mothers remains in the background since research in this field has mainly focused on the medical and physical complications of early childbearing. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore adolescent pregnancy and motherhood in order to understand this phenomenon from the perspective of adolescent mothers and to gain insight into their future aspirations. Methods This descriptive qualitative study was based on data from four focus group discussions with adolescent mothers utilising healthcare services at a district hospital in Ugu district, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. The data were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, then analysed using thematic analysis. Results Some adolescent mothers’ partners were in denial and rejected them and the child while others’ partners were happy and supported them during their pregnancy. Families’ reactions to the pregnancies ranged between anger and disappointment to abandonment, the silent treatment, and acceptance and forgiveness. The psychological issues experienced by some of the adolescent mothers included suicidal ideation, guilt, loneliness, anxiety, and stress. They also experienced financial constraints, difficulty in returning to school, and stigmatisation in society. The participants envisioned completing their education, focusing on their dream careers, and contributing positively to society. Conclusion Experiences of adolescent pregnancy and parenting are multifaceted and the healthcare needs of pregnant and parenting adolescents extend beyond information and knowledge. A multidisciplinary approach is required in the care of adolescent mothers. A key policy priority should encompass the collaboration of different professionals from various healthcare sectors to assist adolescent mothers in achieving better health and psychosocial and socio-economic outcomes as steps to securing a better future for them.

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