Development of an intervention to manage benzodiazepine dependence and high-risk use in the context of escalating drug related deaths in Scotland: an application of the MRC framework.

BACKGROUND: Scotland has the highest rate of drug related deaths (DRD) in Europe. These are deaths in people who use drugs such as heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines and gabapentinoids. It is a feature of deaths in Scotland that people use combinations of drugs which increases the chance of a DRD. Many deaths involve 'street' benzodiazepines, especially a drug called etizolam. Many of the 'street' benzodiazepines are not licensed in the UK so come from illegal sources. People who use opiates can be prescribed a safer replacement medication (e.g., methadone). While guidance on management of benzodiazepines use highlights that there is little evidence to support replacement prescribing, practice and evidence are emerging. AIM: To develop an intervention to address 'street' benzodiazepines use in people who also use opiates. METHODS: The MRC Framework for Complex Interventions was used to inform research design. Co-production of the intervention was achieved through three online workshops with clinicians, academics working in the area of substance use, and people with lived experience (PWLE). Each workshop was followed by a PWLE group meeting. Outputs from workshops were discussed and refined by the PWLE group and then further explored at the next workshop. RESULTS: After these six sessions, a finalised logic model for the intervention was successfully achieved that was acceptable to clinicians and PWLE. Key components of the intervention were: prescribing of diazepam; anxiety management, sleep, and pain; and harm reduction resources (locked box and a range of tips), personal safety conversations, as well as a virtual learning environment. CONCLUSION: A co-produced intervention was developed for next stage clinical feasibility testing.

An evaluation of the Compassion, Inclusion, and Engagement initiative: learning from PWLE and communities across British Columbia.

BACKGROUND: The Compassion, Inclusion and Engagement initiative (CIE) was a social contact intervention that operated in British Columbia between 2015 and 2021. The primary objective of CIE was to increase the participation of people with lived experience of substance use (PWLE) in the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of harm reduction supports and services. CASE PRESENTATION: CIE used the developmental evaluation methodology outcome mapping to define and measure progress towards its goals. Developmental evaluation emphasizes learning in contrast to other forms of evaluation which are often more focused on determining the value or success of a project or programme based on predetermined criteria. Outcome mapping is a relational practice which acknowledges that change is achieved by an initiative's partners and the role of the initiative is to provide access to resources, ideas and opportunities that can facilitate and support change. CONCLUSIONS: Through the implementation and evaluation of CIE, it became clear that directly supporting PWLE facilitated more meaningful and lasting change than solely working to improve the health and social services that supported them. The impacts of the CIE initiative extend far beyond the outcomes of any of the dialogues it facilitated and are largely the result of an increase in social capital. CIE engagements created the opportunity for change by inviting people most affected by the toxic drug supply together with those committed to supporting them, but their ability to bring about systemic change was limited. Both PWLE and service providers noted the lack of support to attend CIE engagements, lack of support for actions that came from those engagements, and lack of PWLE inclusion in decision-making by health authorities as limiting factors for systemic change. The lack of response at a systemic level often resulted in PWLE carrying the burden of responding to toxic drug poisonings, often without resources, support, or compensation.

Implementation and evaluation of participatory advisory boards in mental health research: a research protocol of the 'PART-Beirat' project.

BACKGROUND: The use of participatory research approaches in the field of dementia and forensic mental health research has been on the rise. Advisory board structures, involving people with lived experience (PWLE), have frequently been used for guiding and leading research. Yet, there has been limited guidance on the establishment, retention and use of advisory boards in the field of dementia and forensic mental health research. OBJECTIVE: This project outlined in this research protocol will investigate the benefits and challenges of establishing three patient advisory boards, involving PWLE, practitioners and researchers with the purpose to guide research. Data will be used to develop guidelines for best practice in involving PWLE in dementia and forensic mental health research through advisory boards. METHODS: The research project will be divided into three phases: Phase I will involve two topic-specific systematic reviews on the use of participatory research with PWLE, followed by an initial study exploring PWLE's, practitioners' and researchers' expectations on research involvement. Phase II will consist of the establishment of three advisory boards, one focusing on dementia, one on forensic mental health and one overarching coordinating advisory board, which will involve PWLE from both fields. Phase III, will consist of interviews and focus groups with advisory board members, exploring any challenges and benefits of involving PWLE and practitioners in advisory boards for guiding research. To capture the impact of involving PWLE in different research phases and tasks, interviews and focus groups will be conducted at four different points of time (0, 6, 12, 18 months). Reflexive thematic analysis will be used for the analysis of data. DISCUSSION: The project aims to explore the involvement of PWLE and practitioners in guiding research and aims to develop guidelines for best practice in establishing and using patient advisory boards in dementia and forensic mental health research and involving PWLE and practitioners in research.

There is an increasing involvement of people with mental health issues in research, especially in the form of advisory boards. So far People With Lived Experience [PWLE] of mental health issues acquired either from first person experience or through family members, and mental health practitioners' involvement in research has been found to benefit research and society. This is because it increases reach and quality of research, whilst raising the voice of people commonly excluded from decision making (e.g. research, care provision). This research protocol describes the design of a three-year research project. The project aims to establish and use patient advisory boards, involving PWLE, practitioners and researchers, to guide research. The project will consist of three phases: (1) a review of previous studies on the use of participatory research with PWLE of dementia and forensic mental health care, followed by an initial study exploring PWLE's, practitioners' and researchers' expectations in research involvement, (2) the establishment of three advisory boards, one focusing on dementia, one on forensic mental health and one overarching coordinating advisory board, and (3) an exploration of challenges, barriers and benefits of involving PWLE of dementia/forensic mental health care and practitioners in advisory boards for research through interviews and focus groups. Interviews with PWLE and practitioners involved in the advisory boards will be conducted at four different points of time (0, 6, 12, 18 month). At the end, we aim to develop guidelines for establishing advisory board structures, involving PWLE and practitioners in research.

Exploring the potential of delivering mental health care services using digital technologies in Bangladesh: A qualitative analysis.

Background: Bangladesh is a lower-middle-income country affected by a severe lack of mental health service availability due to a scarcity of mental health experts, limited mental health literacy, and community stigma. In other low and middle-income countries, the online provision of mental health care services has addressed issues affecting service availability, accessibility, mass awareness of services, and stigma. Objective: The current study sought to understand stakeholders' perceptions of the potential of digital media-based mental health care delivery in strengthening Bangladesh's mental health system. Method: Online in-depth interviews were conducted with seven psychiatrists and eleven people with lived experiences of mental health issues. In addition, two online focus groups were conducted with ten psychologists and nine mental health entrepreneurs. A thematic analysis of the audio transcriptions was used to identify themes. Result: Stakeholders perceived that the benefits of digital media-based mental health services included the potential of increasing the awareness, availability, and accessibility of mental health services. Participants recommended: the rehabilitation of existing pathways; the use of social media to raise awareness; and the implementation of strategies that integrate different digital-based services to strengthen the mental health system and foster positive mental health-seeking behaviors. Conclusion: Growing mental health awareness, combined with the appropriate use of digital media as a platform for distributing information and offering mental services, can help to promote mental health care. To strengthen mental health services in Bangladesh, tailored services, increased network coverage, and training are required on digital mental health.

People with lived experience (PWLE) of depression: describing and reflecting on an explicit patient engagement process within depression research priority setting in Alberta, Canada.

PLAIN ENGLISH SUMMARY: The Alberta Depression Research Priority Setting Project aimed to meaningfully involve patients, families and clinicians in determining a research agenda aligned to the needs of Albertans who have experienced depression. The project was modeled after a process developed in the UK by the James Lind Alliance and adapted to fit the Alberta, Canada context. This study describes the processes used to ensure the voices of people with lived experience of depression were integrated throughout the project stages. The year long project culminated with a facilitated session to identify the top essential areas of depression research focus. People with lived experience were engaged as part of the project's Steering Committee, as survey participants and as workshop participants. It is hoped this process will guide future priority setting opportunities and advance depression research in Alberta. ABSTRACT: Background The Depression Research Priority Setting (DRPS) project has the clear aim of describing the patient engagement process used to identify depression research priorities and to reflect on the successes of this engagement approach, positive impacts and opportunities for improvement. To help support patient-oriented depression research priority setting in Alberta, the Patient Engagement (PE) Platform of the Alberta Strategy for Patient Oriented Research Support for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials (SUPPORT) Unit designed, along with the support of their partners in addictions and mental health, an explit process to engage patients in the design and execution of the DRPS. Methods The UK's James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) method was adapted into a six step process to ensure voices of "people with lived experience" (PWLE) with depression were included throughout the project stages. This study uses an explicit and parallel patient engagement process throughout each estage of the PSP designed by the PE Platform. Patient engagement was divided into a five step process: i) Awareness and relationship building; ii) Co-designing and co-developing a shared decision making process; iii) Collaborative communication; iv) Collective sensemaking; and v) Acknowledgement, celebration and recognition. A formative evaluation of the six PE processes was undertaken to explore the success of the parallel patient engagement process. Results This project was successful in engaging people with lived depression experience as partners in research priority setting, incorporating their voices into the discussions and decisions that led to the top 25 depression research questions. Conclusions The DRPS project has positively contributed to depression research in Canada by identifying the priorities of Albertans who have experienced depression for depression research. Dissemination activities to promote further knowledge exchange of prioritized research questions, with emphasis on the importance of process in engaging the voices of PWLE of depression are planned.