Exploring the Potential of a School-based Online Health and Wellbeing Screening Tool: Professional Stakeholders' Perspectives and Experiences

Overview

Journal BMC Public Health

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Public Health

Date 2022 Feb 16

PMID 35168580

Authors

Nicholas Woodrow

Hannah Fairbrother

Katie Breheny

Katrina dApice

Patricia N Albers

Clare Mills

Matthew Curtis

Lisa Hopkins

Sarah Tebbett

Rona Campbell

Frank De Vocht

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Supporting children and young people's (CYP) mental and physical health is a global policy priority but detecting need and facilitating access to health services and support is challenging. This paper explores professional stakeholders' perspectives of the acceptability, utility and effectiveness of a school-based online health and wellbeing screening tool, the Digital Health Contact (DHC). The DHC, delivered by Public Health School Nurses (PHSN), aims to identify, and put in place strategies to support, unmet health needs among CYP.

Methods: We employed a qualitative study design, using semi-structured interviews. Fourteen key stakeholders involved in the design and implementation of the DHC (commissioners, providers, PHSN and healthcare staff, school leaders) were purposively sampled. Data were analysed thematically.

Results: Our analysis generated two key themes: the perceived benefits of the DHC; and challenges in delivering the DHC. Stakeholders perceived the universal application of the DHC with linked follow-up intervention as an effective means of identifying and supporting CYP with unmet needs, and an efficient way to target limited service resources. There were barriers around enabling school engagement in the DHC, typically in terms of logistics, school infrastructure, and perspectives of fit with schools. These barriers were seen as being negated through developing effective working relationships between schools and PHSN. Effective relationships could highlight the potential benefits of participation. Overall, the DHC was seen as a valuable and effective use of resources, with a low burden on school staff.

Conclusions: The DHC, as a universal school-based health and wellbeing screening tool with linked follow-up intervention, has great potential in identifying and supporting unmet health needs among CYP. The perspectives and experiences of those involved in delivering the DHC highlight important considerations which may enable effective implementation and delivery of school screening programmes across other areas.

Citing Articles

The impact of the newly developed school-based 'Digital Health Contact'-Evaluating a health and wellbeing screening tool for adolescents in England.

Porter A, dApice K, Albers P, Woodrow N, Fairbrother H, Breheny K PLoS One. 2024; 19(1):e0297016.

PMID: 38215072 PMC: 10786370. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297016.

Exploring the Potential of a School-Based Online Health and Wellbeing Screening Tool: Young People's Perspectives.

Woodrow N, Fairbrother H, dApice K, Breheny K, Albers P, Mills C Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022; 19(7).

PMID: 35409747 PMC: 8998184. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19074062.

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