Abstract
BackgroundThe impact of mental ill-health on every aspect of the lives of a large number of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, their partners, and their families is widely recognized. Recent Senate inquiries have highlighted gaps in service delivery as well as the need for service reform to ensure appropriate care options for individuals who are currently engaged with mental health and support services as well as for those who, for a variety of reasons, have not sought help. To that end, successive Australian governments generally and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs specifically have prioritized veteran-centric reform. Open Arms is an Australia-wide service that provides counseling and support to current and former ADF personnel, and their family members, for mental health conditions.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to develop and configure a prototypic Web-based platform for Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling (formerly Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service) with the Open Arms community to enhance the quality of mental health services provided by Open Arms.MethodsThe study aimed to recruit up to 100 people from the Open Arms community (current and former ADF personnel and their families, health professionals, service managers, and administrators) in regions of New South Wales, including Sydney, Canberra, Maitland, Singleton, and Port Stephens. Participants were invited to participate in 4-hour participatory design workshops. A variety of methods were used within the workshops, including prompted discussion, review of working prototypes, creation of descriptive artifacts, and group-based development of user journeys.ResultsSeven participatory design workshops were held, including a total of 49 participants. Participants highlighted that the prototype has the potential to (1) provide the opportunity for greater and better-informed personal choice in relation to options for care based on the level of need and personal preferences; (2) ensure transparency in care by providing the individual with access to all of their personal health information; and (3) improve collaborative care and care continuity by allowing information to be shared securely with current and future providers.ConclusionsOur findings highlight the value of actively engaging stakeholders in participatory design processes for the development and configuration of new technologies.
Highlights
Successive Australian governments have been concerned about the mental health and well-being of current and former Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel and their families and have committed to improve policies and services to prevent and treat mental health conditions and support individuals and families in need [1]
Recent government inquiries concerning the mental health of the ADF [2] and suicide by current and former personnel [3] have revealed the enormous impact of mental ill-health on every aspect of the lives of a large number of ADF personnel, their partners, and their families
In light of the service gaps noted in the recent Senate Inquiry reports, Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) has prioritized veteran-centric reform [5] to ensure dramatic improvements in the way DVA connects with veterans and to provide the former service community with a greater standard of service through business processes, culture, and government-endorsed best practice mental health service delivery
Summary
Successive Australian governments have been concerned about the mental health and well-being of current and former Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel and their families and have committed to improve policies and services to prevent and treat mental health conditions and support individuals and families in need [1]. The inquiries highlighted gaps in service delivery as well as the need for service reform and strategies and services that can appropriately deal both with those currently engaged with mental health and support services and those who, for a variety of reasons, have not sought help [1,2]. Recent Senate inquiries have highlighted gaps in service delivery as well as the need for service reform to ensure appropriate care options for individuals who are currently engaged with mental health and support services as well as for those who, for a variety of reasons, have not sought help. Open Arms is an Australia-wide service that provides counseling and support to current and former ADF personnel, and their family members, for mental health conditions
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