A new study is launching in Birmingham and Solihull with the aim of improving the care of people living with psychosis and multimorbidities, particularly for marginalised populations, by co-designing resources based on patient experiences and utilising “novel methods of engagement” including use of digital means to encourage people from a range of backgrounds to take part.
The PhotoVoice research process encourages participants to take photos of their experiences before reflecting on them and adding captions to images for further clarity and insight; video records are also supported, along with drawings. In this manner, it is hoped that the study will support people to share their stories in a “creative way that reflects their experiences and perspectives”.
The aim is for the insights gathered to support design of primary, specialist hospital, and social care provision, and to improve the care of people from diverse ethnic groups who are living with psychosis and multiple long-term conditions.
“Marginalised populations are under-represented in research, and so novel methods of engagement are needed,” states Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. On the use of the PhotoVoice approach, the trust adds: “These methods have been useful in previous work to allow people to contribute to research who wouldn’t usually be able to take part.”
In April, HTN highlighted insights from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust’s Wellbeing Hub on how their team collaborated with game makers for the development of a video game following a character experiencing psychosis, in order to achieve “truthful representation” of the condition.
In March, we also reported on early guidance assessment from NICE on health technologies to help manage symptoms of psychosis and prevent relapse in adults and young people.
In other news from the region, Birmingham and Solihull ICS’s 10-year strategy highlights the key role of data in tackling inequalities, identifying opportunities for intervention, and enhancing understanding of areas of shared priority.
Meanwhile, at the start of the year, we noted how Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust published a tender for EPR programme data migration and integration services, to support the implementation of the trust’s Epic programme.
