scholarly journals Developing a Mental Health eClinic to Improve Access to and Quality of Mental Health Care for Young People: Using Participatory Design as Research Methodologies (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Ospina-Pinillos ◽  
Tracey A Davenport ◽  
Cristina S Ricci ◽  
Alyssa C Milton ◽  
Elizabeth M Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Well Being ◽  
End Users ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Youth Health

BACKGROUND Each year, many young Australians aged between 16 and 25 years experience a mental health disorder, yet only a small proportion access services and even fewer receive timely and evidence-based treatments. Today, with ever-increasing access to the Internet and use of technology, the potential to provide all young people with access (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) to the support they require to improve their mental health and well-being is promising. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to use participatory design (PD) as research methodologies with end users (young people aged between 16 and 25 years and youth health professionals) and our research team to develop the Mental Health eClinic (a Web-based mental health clinic) to improve timely access to, and better quality, mental health care for young people across Australia. METHODS A research and development (R&D) cycle for the codesign and build of the Mental Health eClinic included several iterative PD phases: PD workshops; translation of knowledge and ideas generated during workshops to produce mockups of webpages either as hand-drawn sketches or as wireframes (simple layout of a webpage before visual design and content is added); rapid prototyping; and one-on-one consultations with end users to assess the usability of the alpha build of the Mental Health eClinic. RESULTS Four PD workshops were held with 28 end users (young people n=18, youth health professionals n=10) and our research team (n=8). Each PD workshop was followed by a knowledge translation session. At the conclusion of this cycle, the alpha prototype was built, and one round of one-on-one end user consultation sessions was conducted (n=6; all new participants, young people n=4, youth health professionals n=2). The R&D cycle revealed the importance of five key components for the Mental Health eClinic: a home page with a visible triage system for those requiring urgent help; a comprehensive online physical and mental health assessment; a detailed dashboard of results; a booking and videoconferencing system to enable video visits; and the generation of a personalized well-being plan that includes links to evidence-based, and health professional–recommended, apps and etools. CONCLUSIONS The Mental Health eClinic provides health promotion, triage protocols, screening, assessment, a video visit system, the development of personalized well-being plans, and self-directed mental health support for young people. It presents a technologically advanced and clinically efficient system that can be adapted to suit a variety of settings in which there is an opportunity to connect with young people. This will enable all young people, and especially those currently not able or willing to connect with face-to-face services, to receive best practice clinical services by breaking down traditional barriers to care and making health care more personalized, accessible, affordable, and available.

scholarly journals Involving End Users in Adapting a Spanish Version of a Web-Based Mental Health Clinic for Young People in Colombia: Exploratory Study Using Participatory Design Methodologies

10.2196/15914 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. e15914
Author(s):  
Laura Ospina-Pinillos ◽  
Tracey A Davenport ◽  
Alvaro Andres Navarro-Mancilla ◽  
Vanessa Wan Sze Cheng ◽  
Andrés Camilo Cardozo Alarcón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Self Report ◽  
User Testing ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Middle Income Countries

Background Health information technologies (HITs) hold enormous promise for improving access to and providing better quality of mental health care. However, despite the spread of such technologies in high-income countries, these technologies have not yet been commonly adopted in low- and middle-income countries. People living in these parts of the world are at risk of experiencing physical, technological, and social health inequalities. A possible solution is to utilize the currently available HITs developed in other counties. Objective Using participatory design methodologies with Colombian end users (young people, their supportive others, and health professionals), this study aimed to conduct co-design workshops to culturally adapt a Web-based Mental Health eClinic (MHeC) for young people, perform one-on-one user-testing sessions to evaluate an alpha prototype of a Spanish version of the MHeC and adapt it to the Colombian context, and inform the development of a skeletal framework and alpha prototype for a Colombian version of the MHeC (MHeC-C). Methods This study involved the utilization of a research and development (R&D) cycle including 4 iterative phases: co-design workshops; knowledge translation; tailoring to language, culture, and place (or context); and one-on-one user-testing sessions. Results A total of 2 co-design workshops were held with 18 users—young people (n=7) and health professionals (n=11). Moreover, 10 users participated in one-on-one user-testing sessions—young people (n=5), supportive others (n=2), and health professionals (n=3). A total of 204 source documents were collected and 605 annotations were coded. A thematic analysis resulted in 6 themes (ie, opinions about the MHeC-C, Colombian context, functionality, content, user interface, and technology platforms). Participants liked the idea of having an MHeC designed and adapted for Colombian young people, and its 5 key elements were acceptable in this context (home page and triage system, self-report assessment, dashboard of results, booking and video-visit system, and personalized well-being plan). However, to be relevant in Colombia, participants stressed the need to develop additional functionality (eg, phone network backup; chat; geolocation; and integration with electronic medical records, apps, or electronic tools) as well as an adaptation of the self-report assessment. Importantly, the latter not only included language but also culture and context. Conclusions The application of an R&D cycle that also included processes for adaptation to Colombia (language, culture, and context) resulted in the development of an evidence-based, language-appropriate, culturally sensitive, and context-adapted HIT that is relevant, applicable, engaging, and usable in both the short and long term. The resultant R&D cycle allowed for the adaptation of an already available HIT (ie, MHeC) to the MHeC-C—a low-cost and scalable technology solution for low- and middle-income countries like Colombia, which has the potential to provide young people with accessible, available, affordable, and integrated mental health care at the right time.

scholarly journals Using Participatory Design Methodologies to Co-Design and Culturally Adapt the Spanish Version of the Mental Health eClinic: Qualitative Study

10.2196/14127 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. e14127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Ospina-Pinillos ◽  
Tracey Davenport ◽  
Antonio Mendoza Diaz ◽  
Alvaro Navarro-Mancilla ◽  
Elizabeth M Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
User Testing ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
English Speaking

Background The Mental Health eClinic (MHeC) aims to deliver best-practice clinical services to young people experiencing mental health problems by making clinical care accessible, affordable, and available to young people whenever and wherever they need it most. The original MHeC consists of home page with a visible triage system for those requiring urgent help; a online physical and mental health self-report assessment; a results dashboard; a booking and videoconferencing system; and the generation of a personalized well-being plan. Populations who do not speak English and reside in English-speaking countries are less likely to receive mental health care. In Australia, international students have been identified as disadvantaged compared with their peers; have weaker social support networks; and have higher rates of psychological distress. This scenario is acquiring significant relevance as Spanish-speaking migration is rapidly growing in Australia, and the mental health services for culturally and linguistically diverse populations are limited. Having a Spanish version (MHeC-S) of the Mental Health eClinic would greatly benefit these students. Objective We used participatory design methodologies with users (young people aged 16-30 years, supportive others, and health professionals) to (1) conduct workshops with users to co-design and culturally adapt the MHeC; (2) inform the development of the MHeC-S alpha prototype; (3) test the usability of the MHeC-S alpha prototype; (4) translate, culturally adapt, and face-validate the MHeC-S self-report assessment; and (5) collect information to inform its beta prototype. Methods A research and development cycle included several participatory design phases: co-design workshops; knowledge translation; language translation and cultural adaptation; and rapid prototyping and user testing of the MHeC-S alpha prototype. Results We held 2 co-design workshops with 17 users (10 young people, 7 health professionals). A total of 15 participated in the one-on-one user testing sessions (7 young people, 5 health professionals, 3 supportive others). We collected 225 source documents, and thematic analysis resulted in 5 main themes (help-seeking barriers, technology platform, functionality, content, and user interface). A random sample of 106 source documents analyzed by 2 independent raters revealed almost perfect agreement for functionality (kappa=.86; P<.001) and content (kappa=.92; P<.001) and substantial agreement for the user interface (kappa=.785; P<.001). In this random sample, no annotations were coded for help-seeking barriers or the technology platform. Language was identified as the main barrier to getting medical or psychological services, and smartphones were the most-used device to access the internet. Acceptability was adequate for the prototype’s 5 main elements: home page and triage system, self-report assessment, dashboard of results, booking and video visit system, and personalized well-being plan. The data also revealed gaps in the alpha prototype, such as the need for tailored assessment tools and a greater integration with Spanish-speaking services and communities. Spanish-language apps and e-tools, as well as online mental health information, were lacking. Conclusions Through a research and development process, we co-designed and culturally adapted, developed and user tested, and evaluated the MHeC-S. By translating and culturally adapting the MHeC to Spanish, we aimed to increase accessibility and availability of e-mental health care in the developing world, and assist vulnerable populations that have migrated to English-speaking countries.

scholarly journals Involving End Users in Adapting a Spanish Version of a Web-Based Mental Health Clinic for Young People in Colombia: Exploratory Study Using Participatory Design Methodologies (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Ospina-Pinillos ◽  
Tracey A Davenport ◽  
Alvaro Andres Navarro-Mancilla ◽  
Vanessa Wan Sze Cheng ◽  
Andrés Camilo Cardozo Alarcón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Self Report ◽  
User Testing ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Middle Income Countries

BACKGROUND Health information technologies (HITs) hold enormous promise for improving access to and providing better quality of mental health care. However, despite the spread of such technologies in high-income countries, these technologies have not yet been commonly adopted in low- and middle-income countries. People living in these parts of the world are at risk of experiencing physical, technological, and social health inequalities. A possible solution is to utilize the currently available HITs developed in other counties. OBJECTIVE Using participatory design methodologies with Colombian end users (young people, their supportive others, and health professionals), this study aimed to conduct co-design workshops to culturally adapt a Web-based Mental Health eClinic (MHeC) for young people, perform one-on-one user-testing sessions to evaluate an alpha prototype of a Spanish version of the MHeC and adapt it to the Colombian context, and inform the development of a skeletal framework and alpha prototype for a Colombian version of the MHeC (MHeC-C). METHODS This study involved the utilization of a research and development (R&amp;D) cycle including 4 iterative phases: co-design workshops; knowledge translation; tailoring to language, culture, and place (or context); and one-on-one user-testing sessions. RESULTS A total of 2 co-design workshops were held with 18 users—young people (n=7) and health professionals (n=11). Moreover, 10 users participated in one-on-one user-testing sessions—young people (n=5), supportive others (n=2), and health professionals (n=3). A total of 204 source documents were collected and 605 annotations were coded. A thematic analysis resulted in 6 themes (ie, opinions about the MHeC-C, Colombian context, functionality, content, user interface, and technology platforms). Participants liked the idea of having an MHeC designed and adapted for Colombian young people, and its 5 key elements were acceptable in this context (home page and triage system, self-report assessment, dashboard of results, booking and video-visit system, and personalized well-being plan). However, to be relevant in Colombia, participants stressed the need to develop additional functionality (eg, phone network backup; chat; geolocation; and integration with electronic medical records, apps, or electronic tools) as well as an adaptation of the self-report assessment. Importantly, the latter not only included language but also culture and context. CONCLUSIONS The application of an R&amp;D cycle that also included processes for adaptation to Colombia (language, culture, and context) resulted in the development of an evidence-based, language-appropriate, culturally sensitive, and context-adapted HIT that is relevant, applicable, engaging, and usable in both the short and long term. The resultant R&amp;D cycle allowed for the adaptation of an already available HIT (ie, MHeC) to the MHeC-C—a low-cost and scalable technology solution for low- and middle-income countries like Colombia, which has the potential to provide young people with accessible, available, affordable, and integrated mental health care at the right time.

scholarly journals Development of a Web-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention to Support Lifestyle Behavior Change and Well-Being in Health Care Staff: Participatory Design Study

10.2196/22507 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. e22507
Author(s):  
Menna Brown ◽  
Nic Hooper ◽  
Parisa Eslambolchilar ◽  
Ann John
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment

Background Positive emotional well-being is associated with healthier lifestyle choices and overall health function, whereas poor mental health is associated with significant economic and psychological costs. Thus, the development of effective interventions that improve emotional well-being is crucial to address the worldwide burden of disease. Objective This study aims to develop a web-based emotional well-being intervention for use by health care staff using participatory design to consider adherence and engagement from a user perspective. Methods A 3-staged iterative participatory design process was followed, including multiple stakeholders: researchers, computer scientists, mental health experts, and health care staff. Stage 1 used document analyses, direct observation, and welcome interviews; stage 2 used focus group discussions, rapid prototyping, and usability tasks; and stage 3 evaluated a high-fidelity prototype. Results Different health care staff (N=38) participated during a sustained period. A structured, sequential, automated, 12-week, web-based emotional well-being intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy was developed. Freely navigated psychoeducational resources were also included. Conclusions The iterative and collaborative participatory design process successfully met its objectives. It generated an in-depth understanding of well-being within the workplace and identified barriers to access. The 3-staged process ensured that participants had the opportunity to explore and articulate criteria relevant to their roles over time and reflect on decisions made at each stage.

Clinical effectiveness

2002 ◽  
Vol 181 (02) ◽  
pp. 170-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Higgitt ◽  
Peter Fonagy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Clinical Effectiveness ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
The Past

A number of themes have run through health policy initiatives of the two Labour Governments of the past 5 years: modernisation; stigma; inequalities and social exclusion; partnerships; involvement of users and carers. But perhaps the most important from the point of view of mental health professionals is the initiative to alter the culture within which health care is offered from one based on expert knowledge and authority to one founded on the principle of evidence-based practice.

scholarly journals Developing a Mental Health eClinic to Improve Access to and Quality of Mental Health Care for Young People: Using Participatory Design as Research Methodologies

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. e188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Ospina-Pinillos ◽  
Tracey A Davenport ◽  
Cristina S Ricci ◽  
Alyssa C Milton ◽  
Elizabeth M Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Research Methodologies ◽  
Improve Access

scholarly journals Development of a Web-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention to Support Lifestyle Behavior Change and Well-Being in Health Care Staff: Participatory Design Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Menna Brown ◽  
Nic Hooper ◽  
Parisa Eslambolchilar ◽  
Ann John
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment

BACKGROUND Positive emotional well-being is associated with healthier lifestyle choices and overall health function, whereas poor mental health is associated with significant economic and psychological costs. Thus, the development of effective interventions that improve emotional well-being is crucial to address the worldwide burden of disease. OBJECTIVE This study aims to develop a web-based emotional well-being intervention for use by health care staff using participatory design to consider adherence and engagement from a user perspective. METHODS A 3-staged iterative participatory design process was followed, including multiple stakeholders: researchers, computer scientists, mental health experts, and health care staff. Stage 1 used document analyses, direct observation, and welcome interviews; stage 2 used focus group discussions, rapid prototyping, and usability tasks; and stage 3 evaluated a high-fidelity prototype. RESULTS Different health care staff (N=38) participated during a sustained period. A structured, sequential, automated, 12-week, web-based emotional well-being intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy was developed. Freely navigated psychoeducational resources were also included. CONCLUSIONS The iterative and collaborative participatory design process successfully met its objectives. It generated an in-depth understanding of well-being within the workplace and identified barriers to access. The 3-staged process ensured that participants had the opportunity to explore and articulate criteria relevant to their roles over time and reflect on decisions made at each stage.

Using participatory design methodologies to co-design and culturally adapt the Spanish version of the Mental Health eClinic (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Ospina-Pinillos ◽  
Tracey Davenport ◽  
Antonio Mendoza Diaz ◽  
Alvaro Andres Navarro-Mancilla ◽  
Elizabeth M Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Self Report ◽  
User Testing ◽  
Technology Platform ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
English Speaking

BACKGROUND Populations who do not speak English and currently reside in English-speaking countries are less likely to receive mental health care. In Australia, international students have been identified as disadvantaged compared with their peers; have weaker social support networks; and have higher rates of psychological distress. This scenario is acquiring significant relevance as Spanish-speaking migration is rapidly growing in Australia, and the mental health services for culturally and linguistically-diverse populations are limited. Having a Spanish version of the Mental Health eClinic (MHeC-S) would greatly benefit these students. OBJECTIVE Using participatory design (PD) methodologies with users (young people aged 16 to 30 years, supportive others and health professionals) the aims of this study were to: i) conduct workshops with users to co-design and culturally-adapt the MHeC; ii) inform the development of the MHeC-S alpha prototype; iii) perform usability testing of the MHeC-S alpha prototype; iv) translate, culturally-adapt and face-validate the MHeC-S self-report assessment; and v) collect information to inform its beta prototype. METHODS A research and development (R&D) cycle included several iterative PD phases: co-design workshops; knowledge translation; language translation and cultural adaptation; rapid prototyping and user testing of the MHeC-S alpha prototype. RESULTS Two co-design workshops were held with 17 users (young people n=10, health professionals n=7). A total of 15 participated in the one-on-one user testing sessions (young people n=7, health professionals n=5, supportive others n=3). 225 source documents were collected and thematic analysis resulted in five main themes (help-seeking barriers, technology platform, functionality, content, user interface). A random sample of 106 source documents were analyzed by two independent raters revealing an ‘almost perfect’ agreement for the functionality (kappa=0.86; P<0.001) and content (kappa=0.92; P<0.001); and, a ‘substantial’ agreement for the user interface (kappa=0.785; P<0.001). In this random sample, no annotations were coded for help-seeking barriers or the technology platform. Language was identified as the main barrier to get medical or psychological services and smartphones were the most used device to access the Internet. There was adequate acceptability of the prototype’s five main elements: home page and triage system, self-report assessment, dashboard of results, booking and video visit system and personalized well-being plan. The data also revealed gaps in the current alpha prototype, such as the need for tailored assessment tools and a greater integration with Spanish-speaking services and communities; and, a lack of Spanish language apps and etools as well as online mental health information was noted. CONCLUSIONS Through an iterative process of R&D, the MHeC-S was co-designed and culturally-adapted, developed and user-tested, as well as evaluated. By translating and culturally-adapting the MHeC to Spanish, we aimed to increase accessibility and availability of (e)mental health care to the developing world, and assist vulnerable populations that have migrated to English-speaking countries. CLINICALTRIAL The University of Sydney’s Human Research Ethics Committee approved the study Protocol No. 2014/689 and Protocol No. 2016/487

scholarly journals Alienated and unsafe: Life through the Covid-19 lockdown for vulnerable young people (aged 11-24 years) as revealed in web-based therapeutic sessions with mental health professionals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Mindel ◽  
Crystal Oppong ◽  
Louisa Salhi ◽  
Joanna Lockwood
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Poor Outcomes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have detrimentally and disproportionately affected young people, with those who are considered vulnerable due to their experiences or life circumstances disadvantaged further still. In this study, we seek to understand the experiences of vulnerable young people accessing web-based therapeutic support during the pandemic and early lockdown, as revealed through the observations of mental health professionals. Methods Four focus groups with twelve web-based mental health professionals from the service Kooth were conducted on Zoom, and data analysed using thematic analysis. Participatory workshops with young people with diverse experiences supplemented the study approach and design and involved young people in the co-design of the focus group topic guide and the interpretation and validation of analysis. Results Four main themes and additional sub-themes were identified relating to the experiences of vulnerable young people on a web-based mental health platform. These were Escalation of risk, The Experience and Consequence of Loss, Feeling Supported and Empowered, and Feeling Separate and Isolated. Conclusions Findings broadly reflect early data that suggests that those with existing vulnerability face increased risk of poor outcomes through the pandemic and the restrictions of lockdown, but evidence is also provided of positive outcomes from lockdown and its function as a catalyst for change. Results reinforce that focused support for vulnerable young people is a priority as we emerge from lockdown and points to support and protective factors of relevance to online and offline support provision. The study uniquely contributes qualitative insight from web-based mental health professionals who have provided continuity of care to vulnerable youth from pre-pandemic and during lockdown and are therefore well-positioned to understand the impact of lockdown on the lives of service users. The robust youth-based participatory design is an additional study strength.

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