Group based video-conferencing for adults with depression: findings from a user-led qualitative data analysis using participatory theme elicitation

Developing research priorities for palliative care in Colombia: a priority setting partnership approach

BACKGROUND

A recent Lancet commission called for more research on palliative care in low- and middle-income (LMIC) countries such as Colombia. A research priority setting approach has been recommended by The Global Forum for Health Research to address the huge gap in research output between LMIC and high-income countries, with influential health service bodies recommending the active involvement of non-research expert stakeholders in establishing research priorities to address service user needs.

METHOD

Priority setting partnership (PSP) following the four stages of the James Lind Alliance methodology; establishing the partnership, identifying evidence uncertainties, refining questions and uncertainties, and prioritization. Data from MS forms were analysed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

A total of 33 stakeholders attended an online PSP workshop and completed the Mentimeter exercise in Microsoft Teams. A total of 48 attended the subsequent in person prioritisation exercise in urban Bogota (n = 22) and rural Popayan (n = 25). The stakeholders were a diverse group of health professionals (physicians, medical students, nurses, dentists, physiotherapists, nutritionist, occupational and speech therapists), financial and administrative staff and patients with life-limiting illness and caregivers. Top research priorities included patient and caregiver needs, service provider education and training, and better integration of palliative care with cancer and non-cancer services. The key challenges included a lack of interest in palliative care research, along with funding, time and resource constraints. Key solutions included collaboration across disciplines and settings, highlighting benefits of palliative research to help secure adequate resources, and multicentre, mixed method research, with patient involvement from the research development stage.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this PSP should be disseminated among palliative care associations worldwide to inform international multicentre studies, and among governmental and nongovernmental organisations that promote research in Colombia. A focus on patient and family caregiver palliative care needs in Colombia should be prioritised.

Development and modelling of a school-based mental health intervention: the co-production of the R.E.A.C.T. programme

The lack of effective school-based interventions for addressing mental health issues and psychological well-being in young people, particularly those with stakeholder involvement, for reducing test anxiety in adolescents has caused a call for interventions to be developed through the process of co-production with the key stakeholders, i.e. teachers and students. The purpose of this paper is to present the development and modelling of a coproduced school-based intervention to improve mental health and psychological well-being in adolescents in the post-primary setting. The intervention was developed through a six step co-production model. This included an extensive evidence review, interviews (n = 7), focus groups (n = 6), observations in three school settings and initial modelling of the intervention programme and resources in the co-research partner school. Findings were used to identify the preferred structure and content of the intervention. A six-week intervention for 12–14 year olds was co-produced along with relevant teacher resources and student work books. The intervention consisting of a psycho-educational component and physical activity component underpinned by cognitive, behavioural and self-regulation theories aimed to reduce test anxiety and improve psychological well-being. The co-production model was a successful series of six steps used to create and refine the intervention. The programme represents a theoretically informed intervention comprising multiple components. This study contributes to a better understanding of the determinants of mental health issues among young people and how an intervention can be effectively co-produced. The results suggest that a feasibility study is warranted with teachers delivering the programme.

'Getting involved in research': a co-created, co-delivered and co-analysed course for those with lived experience of health and social care services

BACKGROUND

'Getting Involved in Research' was co-created and delivered by a multi-organisational group to provide an accessible introduction to research for those with lived experience of health and social care services.

METHOD

The evaluation of participants' perceptions adopted an exploratory mixed method research design and aimed to gather data to provide an in-depth understanding of the participants' experience of 'Getting Involved in Research' through the co-researchers' analysis of qualitative data using Participatory Theme Elicitation (PTE). PTE was used with the qualitative data to promote co-analysis by the course development group; analyses from an independent academic was also used to further validate the method of PTE.

RESULTS

Thirty-five participants in total participated in 'Getting Involved in Research'. Age ranges varied from 19 to 73 years old. Participants were predominately female (n = 24), five males participated (n = 5) and there was one participant who identified as non-binary (n = 1). Six core themes were identified using the PTE approach: (1) A Meaningful Participatory Approach (2) Increasing the Confidence of Participants (3) Interactive Online Format (4) An Ambient Learning Environment (5) A Desire for Future Courses (6) A Balance of Course Content and Discussion. Participants in 'Getting Involved in Research' reported that the content of the training was applicable, relevant, fostered awareness of research methods and anticipated that it would support their involvement in research.

CONCLUSION

'Getting Involved in Research' has contributed innovatively to the evidence base for how to engage with and motivate those who have experience of health and social care to become actively involved in research. This study demonstrates that 'Getting Involved in Research' may be helpful to train those with lived experience and their care partners however, further research following up on the application of the course learning would be required to ascertain effectiveness.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Future research should explore methods to apply research skills in practice to further develop participants' confidence in using the skills gained through 'Getting Involved in Research'.

Engaging Teachers and School Leaders in Participatory Data Analysis for the Development of a School-Based Mental Health Intervention

The success of school-based mental health interventions is often inconsistent, in part due to lack of input from teachers and students in the programme design. Therefore, the involvement and engagement of teachers in the co-production of an intervention, especially within data analysis, can create more innovative and effective solutions. This paper presents a teacher-led qualitative data analysis using a new approach within the field, participation theme elicitation. This approach will be used to gather information relevant to the initial development of a school-based mental health intervention. Teachers identified the following themes: (1) physical activity as a stress reliever, (2) programme facilitation, (3) exam pressure and (4) solutions to improve negative mental health. Results from the teacher-led analysis are broadly similar to previous research in the field. Our findings demonstrate that teachers can have a valuable input into research findings which should help address the development of a school-based mental health intervention. In summary, the findings suggest that the use of participatory theme elicitation is a valid and effective method to address the gaps and limitations of participatory qualitative data analysis.

An exercise intervention for people with serious mental illness: Findings from a qualitative data analysis using participatory theme elicitation

Background

People with severe mental illness (SMI) often have poorer physical health than the general population. A coproduced physical activity intervention to improve physical activity for people with SMI in Northern Ireland was evaluated by co‐researchers (researchers with lived experience of SMI) and academic researchers using a new approach to participatory data analysis called participatory theme elicitation (PTE).

Objective

Co‐researchers and academic researchers analysed the data from the pilot study using PTE. This paper aimed to compare these analyses to validate the findings of the study and explore the validity of the PTE method in the context of the evaluation of a physical activity intervention for individuals with SMI.

Results

There was alignment and congruence of some themes across groups. Important differences in the analyses across groups included the use of language, with the co‐researchers employing less academic and clinical language, and structure of themes generated, with the academic researchers including subthemes under some umbrella themes.

Conclusions

The comparison of analyses supports the validity of the PTE approach, which is a meaningful way of involving people with lived experience in research. PTE addresses the power imbalances that are often present in the analysis process and was found to be acceptable by co‐researchers and academic researchers alike.