Designing for Growth and Development – A co-designed course for homeless people

Background In many developed countries, homelessness remains an intractable challenge for intersectoral policies. People who are homeless struggle with a myriad of problems. They frequently experience stigmatisation and social marginalisation. Physical and mental health may be severely compromised, and it could be challenging to retain a sense of personal agency. Objectives. To co-design a personal and organisational development training course, in collaboration with clients and staff of a homeless service provider. To ensure that homeless individuals develop strategies and supports to help them navigate complex life circumstances. 6 three-hour workshops, informed by design-thinking. Each workshop session was co-designed (2 clients of a homeless charity, one staff member of staff, and two academics) in Ireland. Workshops followed the design cycle, starting with empathy exercises, then moved to define specific life challenges related to homelessness. Solution-focused ideation sessions followed. The team proceeded then to build a testable 'prototype'. Results The team jointly developed a high degree of creative confidence and shared responsibility for different sessions. The team developed a 'peer-support programme' as a tangible output. Academic team members gained deep insights into the lived experience of homelessness; client members deployed skills and experiences and gained renewed confidence in their abilities. The homeless charity proceeds with testing the 'peer-support' programme prototype. Conclusions We expect the Access and Life-Long learning programme at the university will offer the programme as a credit-bearing course. Its acceptability and usability will be tested. Key messages Homeless individuals can be meaningfully involved in designing services that empower them to navigate complex systems. Design thinking yields personal and organisational benefits.

Proposing a cross-cultural peer support programme to enhance Chinese direct entry students’ academic performance and learning experience

International students’ learning experience is essential for student satisfaction and retention which can be improved by personalised learning. Peer-to-peer cross culture PAL could be an effective way in achieving personalised learning of international students.

Peer support in anaesthesia: Development and implementation of a peer-support programme within the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine

Recent years have seen a shift in culture surrounding psychological wellbeing in doctors. As suicide continues to devastate medical families, friends and colleagues across the country, and significant rates of mental health issues persist, a greater focus on doctors’ psychological health has emerged. This, coupled with mounting evidence in favour of peer support, has driven the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine to implement a unique peer support programme, which has been tailored to the needs of the perioperative environment. The programme provides a peer-driven, confidential, psychological safety net for all Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital anaesthetic staff. It focuses on collegial support in times of stress, as well as promoting a workplace culture of understanding for staff suffering psychological strain. The benefit of a formalised programme of this kind is that while staff have the option to obtain support at any time from a responder of their choosing, they do not need to seek it out actively in the event of a critical incident when it is automatically provided to them. Consultant anaesthetists trained in psychological first aid act as responders, offering support as well as resources and psychologist referral as required. It is our hope that its success will prompt other anaesthetic departments to continue the trend towards positive health strategies for doctors and implement similar programmes.

Implementing a peer-support programme by group videoconferencing for isolated carers of people with dementia

Introduction Carers support programmes are commonly delivered in person, limiting attendance opportunities for rural carers and others who have access barriers. Studies using technology typically use text-based forums rather than real-time technology such as videoconferencing (VC). Delivering home-based carers support programmes by VC may mitigate barriers for accessing support. We report implementation findings for delivering a telehealth peer-support programme for isolated carers of people with dementia. Methods Participants were recruited through aged care providers, peak bodies and media activities. Inclusion criteria were primary dementia caregiver with Internet access and being socially or geographically isolated. The study design was a staggered randomised waitlist design. Measures included the UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6) and selected scales from the e-Health Literacy Questionnaire. Recruitment activities utilised digital processes. Participants completed a six-week programme delivered by VC. Qualitative data comprised logs detailing administration and IT procedures and difficulties. Post programme, 28 participants undertook semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results There were 16 groups comprising 69 participants located throughout Australia, with 87% using their own devices. Technical issues were few but included connection problems, which were compounded by low digital literacy skills. Qualitative data themes included changing perceptions in using technology, differences in communicating by VC and technical support required. Recruitment activities were time-consuming and would benefit from IT tailored for group-based work. Eight groups continued to meet on a self-organised basis. Discussion Providing peer-support groups using telehealth may have the potential to develop self-sustaining peer networks for isolated caregivers of people with dementia.

Mind the (support) gap: supporting academic trainees through peer networks

Academic Foundation Programme (AFP) trainees face challenges in making the most of the research opportunities available to them. Improved support for trainees throughout the AFP may result in improved outcomes and increase retention of clinical academic trainees. Peer support may address some of the challenges faced by AFP trainees at this early stage of their careers. A Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) approach was used to design and implement a peer support programme for AFP trainees in paediatrics. Feedback from recent AFP graduates was used to identify challenges and possible solutions, which were then incorporated into the programme. Trainee views informed the format of the support offered, especially the role of trainee coordinator and importance of regular meetings. The PDSA approach facilitated constant re-evaluation of the programme, which continued to evolve over several years. Peer support is highly valued by AFP trainees, who use the network to obtain information, as well as concrete assistance, and emotional support from their peers. Such networks are not self-perpetuating, and a significant commitment is required from fellow trainees to ensure the success of the network.