University of South Australia Reports Findings in Research Protocols (National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Lived Experience of Psychosocial Disability for People Presenting to the Emergency Department: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study): Research Protocols

2021 NOV 16 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Research Protocols is the subject of a report. According to news reporting from Adelaide, Australia, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Currently, within Australia, 3.6% of all emergency department (ED) presentations are mental health-related. Information about the context of the person presenting to the ED (beyond immediate needs), including their psychosocial disability (PSD) National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan, is reported as incomplete and fragmented.”

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from the University of South Australia, “There are missed opportunities for early intervention and care continuity that could potentially inform ED practitioners to revise current practices. The aims of this study are: (1) to obtain original data from the lived experience voice of those with the PSD NDIS plan and their experience when presenting to an ED, (2) to gather information from NDIS service providers to reveal communication pathways between the ED and NDIS services, and (3) to gain knowledge from ED clinicians around processes for continuity of care with this population group. This inductive, mixed methods phenomenological study will involve data collection analyzed sequentially, with each stage informing future stages of the research. Interviews will focus on the lived experience voice exploring potential indicators that have led to an ED presentation, alongside an analysis of associated clinical and administrative documentation and communications. Focus groups with NDIS support workers and support coordinators will provide phenomenological data around the experience from their perspective. National quantitative surveys among those with a PSD NDIS plan and emergency services clinicians will provide insight into current practices within community care and ED presentations. The research project design includes a lived experience advisory group who are assisting with the design of the interview and focus group schedules and national surveys, as well as in shaping the interpretation of qualitative information. All transcripts will be subject to thematic analysis to understand individuals’ meaning-making of these complex and particular phenomena. The research team includes a lived experience researcher and a lived experience carer (PhD candidate). This study is funded by MIND Australia as a PhD industry scholarship, which commenced in April 2020. A systematic review as a preresearch activity has been completed and is currently under review. The Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of South Australia has approved this project. An advisory group has been selected, and interview, focus group, and survey schedules are currently being codesigned. Recruitment will commence in November 2021. It is envisaged that data collection will be completed by June 2022.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Understanding the lived experience of the precare, during care, and postcare stages of ED presentations from the perspective of those with a PSD NDIS plan will inform the research team around current practices and provide information about improvement for pathways of care for this vulnerable group of people, while also informing health policy.”

For more information on this research see: National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Lived Experience of Psychosocial Disability for People Presenting to the Emergency Department: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study. JMIR Research Protocols, 2021;10(11).

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Mark Loughhead, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Research and Education Group, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia. Additional authors for this research include Heather McIntyre, Laura Hayes and Nicholas Gerard Procter.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.2196/33268. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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