Barriers to help-seeking, accessing and providing mental health support for medical students: a mixed methods study using the candidacy framework.

BACKGROUND: The mental health of medical students is a national and international problem increasing in both demand and acuity. Medical students face barriers to accessing mental health support that is clinically effective, timely and appropriate for their needs. This mixed methods study aimed to explore experiences of these barriers and the challenges to health service delivery aligned to the Candidacy Framework. METHODS: One hundred three medical students studying at The University of Sheffield completed an online survey comprising the CCAPS-34 and follow-up questions about service access and use. Semi-structured interviews with a nested sample of 20 medical students and 10 healthcare professionals explored barriers to service access and provision. A stakeholder panel of medical students and professionals met quarterly to co-produce research materials, interpret research data and identify touchpoints by pinpointing specific areas and moments of interaction between a medical student as a service user and a mental health service. RESULTS: Medical students who experienced barriers to help-seeking and accessing support scored significantly higher for psychological symptoms on the CCAPS-34. Uncertainty and fear of fitness to practice processes were important barriers present across all seven stages of candidacy. The fragmented structure of local services, along with individual factors such as perceived stigma and confidentiality concerns, limited the progression of medical students through the Candidacy Framework (a framework for understanding the different stages of a person's journey to healthcare). CONCLUSION: This study outlines important areas of consideration for mental health service provision and policy development to improve access to and the quality of care for medical students.

Patient and public involvement in the development of health services: Engagement of underserved populations in a quality improvement programme for inflammatory bowel disease using a community-based participatory approach.

INTRODUCTION: Involving people with lived experience is fundamental to healthcare development and delivery. This is especially true for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) services, where holistic and personalised models of care are becoming increasingly important. There is, however, a significant lack of representation of underserved and diverse groups in IBD research, and there are significant barriers to healthcare access and utilisation among minority groups in IBD. IBD centres need to be aware of these experiences to address barriers via service changes, improve interactions with local communities and promote meaningful engagement for improved health outcomes. METHODS: A pragmatic community-based approach was taken to engage with leaders and members of underserved groups across 11 workshops representing Roma, Afro-Caribbean, people of African descent and the wider black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, Muslim women, refugee community members, deprived areas of South Yorkshire, LGBTQ+ and deaf populations. Thematic analysis of field notes identified patterns of attention across the community groups and where improvements to services were most frequently suggested. RESULTS: Findings demonstrated several barriers experienced to healthcare access and utilisation, including language accessibility, staff attitudes and awareness, mental health and stigma, continuity of support, and practical factors such as ease of service use and safe spaces. These barriers acted as a lever to co-producing service changes that are responsive to the health and social care needs of these groups. CONCLUSIONS: Engaging with people from a range of communities is imperative for ensuring that service improvements in IBD are accessible and representative of individual needs and values. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Local community leaders and members of community groups actively participated in the co-design and development of improvements to the IBD service for a local hospital. Their contributions further informed a pilot process for quality improvement programmes in IBD centres.

Service user involvement in mental health service commissioning, development and delivery: A systematic review of service level outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Service user involvement is increasingly considered essential in mental health service development and delivery. However, the impact of this involvement on services is not well documented. We aimed to understand how user involvement shapes service commissioning, development and delivery, and if/how this leads to improved service-level outcomes. METHODS: A systematic review of electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and EMBASE databases) was undertaken in June and November 2022 for studies that incorporated patient involvement in service development, and reported service-level outcomes. Included studies were synthesised into a logic model based on inputs (method of involvement), activities (changes to service) and outputs (indicators of improvement). PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines were followed when conducting this review. RESULTS: From 10,901 records identified, nine studies were included, of which six were judged to have used co-production or co-design approaches. Included studies described service user involvement ranging from consultation to co-production. We identified a range of outputs associated with service user involvement in service planning and delivery, and reported these in the form of a logic model. These service-level outputs included improved treatment accessibility, increased referrals and greater service user satisfaction. Longer-term outcomes were rarely reported and hence it was difficult to establish whether outputs are sustained. CONCLUSION: More extensive forms of involvement, namely, co-design and co-production, were associated with more positive and substantial outputs in regard to service effectiveness than more limited involvement methods. However, lived experience contributions highlighted service perception outputs may be valued more highly by service users than professionals and therefore should be considered equally important when evaluating service user involvement. Although evidence of longer term outcomes was scarce, meaningful involvement of service users in service planning and delivery appeared to improve the quality of mental health services. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Members of a lived experience advisory panel contributed to the review findings, which were co-authored by a peer researcher. Review findings were also presented to stakeholders including service users and mental health professionals.

Delivery of nutritional management services to people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate how nutritional management services for people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (pwALS) are structured in the UK, in order to gain insight into current practice and identify key barriers and enablers to delivering and providing services. Methods: A three-part, sequential mixed-methods study was conducted that comprised (i) a thematic analysis of data from five focus groups (with 47 ALS health professionals from 41 UK organizations and four service user representatives), (ii) a nationwide cross-sectional survey (281 ALS healthcare professionals) and (iii) a freedom of information request (251 organizations). Results: UK nutritional management services for pwALS are coordinated from specialist (n = 22) and non-specialist care centers (n = 89), with national variability in the organization and delivery of services. Multidisciplinary working was highlighted to facilitate the coordination of nutritional care. However, the need to provide evidence-based continuing education for HCPs was evident. Overall, the lack of clear guidelines on the nutritional management of people with ALS was identified as a key barrier to the delivery of effective nutritional care, as was the lack of transparency and consistency in the commissioning of nutritional services. Further concerns over the timeliness of the dietetic intervention and equity of access and provision were raised. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that development of guidelines for nutritional management, particularly at diagnosis and pre-gastrostomy, could drive standardization of high quality nutritional care for pwALS. Such guidance has the potential to reduce inequalities in geographical provision by providing clarity for those commissioning specialist nutrition services.