Developing Strategies to Improve Patient Engagement Among Young People Accessing Mental Health Services at SCARF,...

Experience-Based Co-design (EBCD) is a participatory action research technique aimed at enhancing the experiences of both service users and service providers within healthcare services. Hence, the aim was to develop strategies to improve the engagement of youth with mental health services being delivered in Chennai, India.

We adopted a modified EBCD method involving three phases (data collection, designing strategies and implementation) spread across six stages. Starting from stage-1 interviews with service users and providers to identify factors that may lead young service users to disengage from treatment, followed by group interactions undertaken separately with service providers and users to pinpoint key areas for improvement. This also included a co-design process with all stakeholders, where solutions were refined using SMART criteria and rated on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being less prioritised and 5 being highly prioritised. The final stage involved a meeting with institution management to deliberate and decide on the plan for implementation of the generated solutions.

Service users, providers, and stakeholders found key areas such as outpatient department (OPD) timings, continuity in MHP-client associations, awareness about medication and treatment processes, and the facilities, including the physical environment and refreshments provided for service users, were major reasons why patients disengaged from the treatment. In this study, service users, providers, and stakeholders prioritised touch points grouped under three major themes: (1) appointments, (2) facilities and (3) awareness.

Despite some challenges, EBCD was successfully implemented at the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) in the Youth Mental Health Department, Chennai, India. EBCD was a promising methodology for service improvement and empowering service users. It identified crucial areas for enhancement and empowered the service users by involving them in the decision-making process, ultimately contributing to improved engagement and satisfaction with mental health services.