Research and mental health services agree that more youth co-production in service design and delivery is needed, but there is little consensus on how to do it well. This study is trying to find agreement about the best ways to do this.
A realist eDelphi study will be conducted. People with experience of co-production and engagement in youth mental health services will be invited to participate. This will include young people with relevant lived experience, family members/carers of young people with mental ill health, youth mental health researchers and other professionals with experience of youth engagement work (eg, mental healthcare staff, mental health service managers and participation/engagement professionals in the sector). The target is to recruit 10–20 participants from each of these four groups (40–80 participants total).
The following steps will be taken: (1) an advisory group of young people will use results from a realist literature review completed prior to this study, to generate the first list of items for the survey; (2) using the online survey tool Qualtrics, participants will be invited to rate these items in an online survey. A prompt question formatted using a realist framework will allow participants to comment on their rating and how this survey item works (or does not work) in this context, for young people or other stakeholders. Participants will be able to add further suggestions at this stage; (3) using Qualtrics, a second survey round will be completed which will include the new suggestions from participants, and original items with their average participant ratings and comments displayed. Participants will be asked to rerate items in this round; (4) a list of items will be generated that comprises survey items believed to be ‘essential’ or ‘important’ by 80% or more of the participants; (5) this list will be discussed with the Youth Advisory Group to generate a final recommendations document and consider creative outputs and dissemination methods. Data analysis will include raw numbers, means and frequencies.
Ethical approval has been granted by the University of Birmingham Research Ethics Committee (Ref: ERN_1550-Apr2024). Both traditional and non-traditional outputs will be created (eg, conference presentations, publications, a plain English summary and social media infographics).
To assess maternal medical conditions, physical and surgical ailments, contraceptive use and barriers to its use, maternal mental health, neonatal health, breastfeeding practices and available social support in the postpartum period.
A prospective cohort study.
A large tertiary care centre.
12 245 women who delivered after 22 weeks gestation in the year 2022.
Three pre-specified exposures, namely mode of delivery, presence of significant risk factors and preterm delivery within the cohort, were used to identify potential groups of women who would need additional support.
The primary outcome was the number of unscheduled visits by the mother or child and the indications for these visits.
The secondary outcomes in mothers included unhealed wound sites, anaemia, increase in body mass index (BMI) by >3, persistent high blood pressure, pain in the abdomen or pelvis, urinary or bowel problems, musculoskeletal pain, abnormal maternal mental health, breast-related issues and barriers to breastfeeding, contraceptive use and sexual activity.
Only 2% of women and children were lost to follow-up. Nine women and 75 babies died. The majority of infant deaths were related to serious congenital diseases. Unscheduled visits to the health facility were seen in 44% of the cohort, most commonly for upper respiratory infections and fever in the mother and baby. 41 mothers and 741 infants needed admission to hospital. Hospitalisation was more common in those with risk factors or preterm delivery. High blood pressure was seen in 3 to 4% and anaemia in 4% of the cohort. Wound infection was seen in 3 to 4% and urinary incontinence in 2% of women. Wound infection was more common with instrumental delivery. Bowel incontinence was rare. A fourth of the cohort had musculoskeletal pain, especially back pain, which was more common after caesarean delivery. Only 5.5% of the cohort had unsatisfactory mental health, and these women were more likely to have abnormal mental health scores with the NICE Questionnaire at screening. The family APGAR of the cohort was 9/10, and 95% belonged to the middle-income group. 2.6% of neonates had delayed milestones, and this was more common in the group with risk factors and preterm delivery.
Healthcare utilisation was mainly for minor complaints. Re-admissions were rare, as intrapartum and immediate postpartum care were optimal. Women who delivered by caesarean section or delivered a preterm child needed additional support in the postpartum phase. NICE Questionnaire is a quick and easy screening tool to identify unsatisfactory mental health and should be used before discharge, postnatally, even in busy settings. The implementation of formal telephonic support 24 hours a day in birthing facilities should be explored in the future. Holistic postnatal care of mother and child during the immunisation of the baby would be the best opportunity to improve the quality and coverage of care in the postnatal phase.
CTRI/2022/03/041343.
In low-income and middle-income countries, significant geographical and socioeconomic inequalities affect access to eye care. This study explores an equity-focused approach to improve access to eye care services provided by a community-based eye care organisation in northern India.
A sequential exploratory mixed-method approach.
A high-volume eye screening programme in north Indian villages. Individuals identified with eye care needs during the screening were referred to the six nearby primary eye care centres.
7578 individuals identified with eye needs through a community-based eye screening programme. Of these, 4431 (58.6%) were women and 3137 (41.4%) were men.
Socioeconomic questions, developed by experts and lay representatives, were integrated into an ongoing digitally supported (Peek Vision) eye screening programme in north Indian villages. Data from referred individuals identified with eye needs were analysed using logistic regression with a mixed-effect model to identify socioeconomic characteristics most strongly associated with poor access to care after referral. A sequential exploratory mixed-method approach, including in-person interviews and follow-up telephonic surveys of individuals with these characteristics, was used.
To identify barriers and gather suggestions for improving attendance from groups least likely to attend services.
Of 7627 individuals referred for eye care, 7578 (99.3%) participated in the study. Of those, 2937 (38.5%) attended the Vision Centre, to which they were referred. The least likely to attend were individuals aged >16, those with dependents, and those referred for non-cataract conditions. Among the 3939 individuals with all three characteristics, the attendance rate was 35.3% compared with 42.5% (p
Suggested programme improvements, including better counselling, reminder calls and transportation, could increase access among those least likely to access services after referral. This study demonstrates a two-step approach for identifying solutions from individuals facing the most significant barriers to care. We will go on to conduct trials of these suggested interventions.