scholarly journals The design of a game-based training environment to enhance health care professionals’ skills in using eMental health: study protocol for the user requirements analysis (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce JPA Bierbooms ◽  
Wouter RJW Sluis-Thiescheffer ◽  
Milou A Feijt ◽  
Wijnand A IJsselsteijn ◽  
Inge MB Bongers
Keyword(s):  
Study Protocol ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Requirements Analysis ◽  
User Requirements ◽  
Good Representation ◽  
Training Environment ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Organizational Conditions

BACKGROUND eMental health offers various possibilities for mental healthcare delivery, with many studies demonstrating its clinical efficacy. However, the uptake of eMental health technologies by mental healthcare professionals remains low. One of the reasons for this is the lack of knowledge and skills in using these technologies. Skill enhancement by means of serious gaming has shown to be effective in other areas already, but has not yet been applied to developing eMental health skills of mental healthcare professionals. OBJECTIVE The objective of this paper is to describe a study protocol for the user requirements analysis for the design of a game-based training environment for mental healthcare professionals to enhance their skills in eMental health. METHODS The user requirements are formulated using three complementary outputs: personas (lively descriptions of potential users), scenarios (situations that require eMental health skills), and prerequisites (required technical and organizational conditions). We collected the data by using a questionnaire, co-design sessions, and interviews. The questionnaire was used to determine mental healthcare professionals’ characteristics, attitudes and skill levels regarding eMental health and was distributed among mental healthcare professionals in the Netherlands. This led to a number of recognizable (sub) user groups as the basis for personas. Co-design sessions with mental healthcare professionals resulted in a further specification of the personas and an identification of different user scenarios for the game-based training environment. Interviews with mental healthcare professionals helped to determine the preferences of mental healthcare professionals regarding training in eMental health, as well as the technical and organizational conditions required for the prospective game-based training environment to be used in practice. This combination of requirements elicitation methods allows for a good representation of the target population in terms of both a broad view of user needs (through the large N questionnaire) as well as an in-depth understanding of specific design requirements (through interviews and co-design). RESULTS The questionnaire was filled out by 432 respondents. Three co-design sessions with mental healthcare professionals and 17 interviews were held. The data has been analyzed and a full paper on the results is expected to be submitted in the first half of 2021. CONCLUSIONS To develop an environment that can effectively support professionals’ eMental Health skill development, it is important to offer training possibilities that address the specific needs of mental healthcare professionals. The approach as described in this protocol incorporates the elements that enable the design of a playful training environment that is user-driven and flexible, and considers the technical and organizational prerequisites that influence its implementation in practice. It describes a protocol that is replicable and that provides a methodology for user requirements analyses in other projects and healthcare areas. CLINICALTRIAL

Design of a Game-Based Training Environment to Enhance Mental Healthcare Professionals’ Skills in Using eMental Health: a User Requirements Analysis (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce Bierbooms ◽  
Milou A Feijt ◽  
Wijnand A IJsselsteijn ◽  
Inge MB Bongers
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Requirements Analysis ◽  
User Requirements ◽  
Multiple Methods ◽  
Training Environment ◽  
Serious Gaming ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Target User

BACKGROUND A major factor hampering the adoption of technology in mental healthcare appears to be a lack of knowledge and skills. Serious gaming offers a potentially effective strategy to enhance the needed skills through experiencing and learning-by-doing in a playful way. Serious gaming solutions are however not widely available in mental healthcare. The development of a game-based training environment in mental healthcare was therefore pursued in a design project. The first step in such a design project is to identify the user requirements that should be met. OBJECTIVE This research aims to deliver the user requirements that inform the design of a game-based training environment for mental healthcare professionals to enhance their knowledge and skills regarding the use of eMental Health. METHODS We used an exploratory multiple methods design consisting of a an online questionnaire, co-design sessions, and interviews. To ensure a good representation of the target user group for each data collection method, professionals from various disciplines within mental healthcare were included in the research. The multiple methods design facilitates a broad view of user needs and in-depth knowledge of specific design requirements. We described the protocol for this research project in a protocol paper, which was published in JMIR Research Protocols in February 2021. RESULTS The user requirement analysis revealed three types of users for the envisioned game-based training environment: mental healthcare professionals that want to learn about the basic possibilities of eMental Health, mental healthcare professionals that want to develop their eMental Health skills to a next level, and mental healthcare professionals that want to learn and experiment with new technologies. This reflects the diversity of needs that were identified, as well as the need to develop a diversity of suitable scenarios in the environment. The user requirements analysis also show that the focus of a training environment should be on increasing knowledge about the possibilities of eMental Health in a broader sense, experiencing the benefits in particular situations and building confidence to use eMental Health in a therapeutic setting. This requires a careful consideration of which game characteristics are suitable. CONCLUSIONS To improve mental healthcare professionals’ skills in eMental Health requires an environment that is user driven and flexible, and at the same time incorporates the contextual factors that are relevant for its implementation in practice. This user requirements analysis contributes to the understanding of the issues that should be taken into account in the development of a game-based training environment by showing that ‘the’ mental healthcare professional does not exist. The various client populations, services and situations demand a variety of options for training. CLINICALTRIAL N/A.

scholarly journals Availability and Use of Mobile Health Technology for Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Support by Health Workers in the Ashanti Region of Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1233
Author(s):  
Ernest Osei ◽  
Kwasi Agyei ◽  
Boikhutso Tlou ◽  
Tivani P. Mashamba-Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Disease Diagnosis ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Diagnosis And Treatment ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Mobile Wireless ◽  
Ashanti Region ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Treatment Support

Mobile health (mHealth) technologies have been identified as promising strategies for improving access to healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. However, the extent of availability and use of mHealth among healthcare professionals in Ghana is not known. The study’s main objective was to examine the availability and use of mHealth for disease diagnosis and treatment support by healthcare professionals in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 285 healthcare professionals across 100 primary healthcare clinics in the Ashanti Region with an adopted survey tool. We obtained data on the participants’ background, available health infrastructure, healthcare workforce competency, ownership of a mobile wireless device, usefulness of mHealth, ease of use of mHealth, user satisfaction, and behavioural intention to use mHealth. Descriptive statistics were conducted to characterise healthcare professionals’ demographics and clinical features. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the influence of the demographic factors on the availability and use of mHealth for disease diagnosis and treatment support. STATA version 15 was used to complete all the statistical analyses. Out of the 285 healthcare professionals, 64.91% indicated that mHealth is available to them, while 35.08% have no access to mHealth. Of the 185 healthcare professionals who have access to mHealth, 98.4% are currently using mHealth to support healthcare delivery. Logistic regression model analysis significantly (p < 0.05) identified that factors such as the availability of mobile wireless devices, phone calls, text messages, and mobile apps are associated with HIV, TB, medication adherence, clinic appointments, and others. There is a significant association between the availability of mobile wireless devices, text messages, phone calls, mobile apps, and their use for disease diagnosis and treatment compliance from the chi-square test analysis. The findings demonstrate a low level of mHealth use for disease diagnosis and treatment support by healthcare professionals at rural clinics. We encourage policymakers to promote the implementation of mHealth in rural clinics.

scholarly journals Burnout of Healthcare Workers amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Japanese Cross-Sectional Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2434
Author(s):  
Yoshito Nishimura ◽  
Tomoko Miyoshi ◽  
Hideharu Hagiya ◽  
Yoshinori Kosaki ◽  
Fumio Otsuka
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
General Medicine ◽  
Maslach Burnout Inventory ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Past

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic has drastically changed how we live and work. Amid the prolonged pandemic, burnout of the frontline healthcare professionals has become a significant concern. We conducted a cross-sectional survey study to provide data about the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the prevalence of burnout in healthcare professionals in Japan. Healthcare workers in a single Japanese national university hospital participated in the survey, including basic demographics, whether a participant engaged in care of COVID-19 patients in the past 2 weeks and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Of those, 25.4% fully answered the survey; 33.3% were doctors and 63.6% were nurses, and 36.3% engaged in care of COVID-19 patients in the past 2 weeks. Compared to those belonging to General Medicine, those in Emergency Intensive Care Unit were at higher risk of burnout (odds ratio (OR), 6.7; 95% CI, 1.1–42.1; p = 0.031). Of those who engaged in care of COVID-19 patients, 50% reported burnout while 6.1% did not (OR 8.5, 95% CI; 1.3–54.1; p = 0.014). The burnout of healthcare workers is a significant concern amid the pandemic, which needs to be addressed for sustainable healthcare delivery.

scholarly journals ‘Not just a piece of skin in front of you’—a qualitative exploration of the experiences of adolescents with eczema and psoriasis with healthcare professionals

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. e041108
Author(s):  
Isabella Joy de Vere Hunt ◽  
Abigail McNiven ◽  
Amanda Roberts ◽  
Himesh Parmar ◽  
Tess McPherson
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Skin Disease ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Skin Conditions ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

BackgroundThere is little qualitative research in the UK focussing on adolescents’ experience of their healthcare providers, and inflammatory skin conditions are a common heath problem in adolescence.AimTo explore the experiences of adolescents with eczema and psoriasis with healthcare professionals, and to distil the participants’ key messages for their healthcare providers.DesignThis is a secondary thematic analysis of interviews with adolescents with eczema or psoriasis.ParticipantsThere were a total of 41 text transcripts of interviews with young people with eczema or psoriasis who had given permission for secondary analysis; 23 of the participants had eczema, and 18 psoriasis. Participants were living in the UK at time of interview, and aged 15–24 years old.ResultsWe have distilled the following key messages from young people with eczema and psoriasis for healthcare providers: (1) address the emotional impact; (2) give more information, with the subtheme and (3) appreciate patient research. We identified the following eczema-specific themes: (ECZ-4) ‘It’s not taken seriously’; (ECZ-5) offer choice in treatment and (ECZ-6) lack of structure/conflicting advice. Two psoriasis-specific themes were identified: (PSO-4) feeling dehumanised/treat me as a person; and (PSO-5) think about how treatments will affect daily life.ConclusionThis qualitative data analysis highlights the need for greater recognition of the emotional impact of skin disease in adolescence, and for more comprehensive provision of information about the conditions. We call for greater sensitivity and flexibility in our approach to adolescents with skin disease, with important implications for healthcare delivery to this group.

scholarly journals Can Chatbots Help Support a Person’s Mental Health? Perceptions and Views from Mental Healthcare Professionals and Experts

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Colm Sweeney ◽  
Courtney Potts ◽  
Edel Ennis ◽  
Raymond Bond ◽  
Maurice D. Mulvenna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Health Perceptions ◽  
Human Emotion ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Perceived Importance

The objective of this study was to understand the attitudes of professionals who work in mental health regarding the use of conversational user interfaces, or chatbots, to support people’s mental health and wellbeing. This study involves an online survey to measure the awareness and attitudes of mental healthcare professionals and experts. The findings from this survey show that more than half of the participants in the survey agreed that there are benefits associated with mental healthcare chatbots (65%, p < 0.01). The perceived importance of chatbots was also relatively high (74%, p < 0.01), with more than three-quarters (79%, p < 0.01) of respondents agreeing that mental healthcare chatbots could help their clients better manage their own health, yet chatbots are overwhelmingly perceived as not adequately understanding or displaying human emotion (86%, p < 0.01). Even though the level of personal experience with chatbots among professionals and experts in mental health has been quite low, this study shows that where they have been used, the experience has been mostly satisfactory. This study has found that as years of experience increased, there was a corresponding increase in the belief that healthcare chatbots could help clients better manage their own mental health.

scholarly journals Psychosocial Risk Factors and Other Than Honorable Military Discharge: Providing Healthcare to Previously Ineligible Veterans

2018 ◽  
Vol 183 (9-10) ◽  
pp. e532-e538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric B Elbogen ◽  
H Ryan Wagner ◽  
Mira Brancu ◽  
Nathan A Kimbrel ◽  
Jennifer C Naylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Drug Misuse ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Research Education ◽  
Military Discharge ◽  
History Of ◽  
Potential Factors

Abstract Introduction In response to a strong focus on suicide prevention for all veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently revised policy to provide emergency mental healthcare for veterans who received Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharges from the military. This current study takes a preliminary step toward identifying demographic, historic, military, clinical, and social characteristics of veterans with OTH discharges. Materials and Methods N = 1,172 Iraq/Afghanistan-era veterans were evaluated between 2005 and 2016 in the multi-site VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness, Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) Study of Post-Deployment Mental Health (PDMH Study). Results Veterans with OTH discharges constituted 2.7% of our sample, approximating the estimated rate in the overall U.S. veteran population. Compared to veterans discharged under honorable conditions, veterans with OTH discharges were more likely to be younger and have greater odds of reporting family history of drug abuse and depression. Further, veterans with OTH discharges reported a lower level of social support and were more likely to be single, endorse more sleep problems, score higher on measures of drug misuse, have a history of incarceration, and meet diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder. A subsequent matching analysis provided further evidence of the association between OTH discharge and two risk factors: drug misuse and incarceration. Conclusion These findings elucidate potential factors associated with veterans with OTH discharges, particularly substance abuse and criminal justice involvement. Results also indicate higher incidence of risk factors that often accompany suicidal ideation and should be a highlighted component of healthcare delivery to this vulnerable cohort of veterans.

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