Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia.
Computer Simulation & Advanced Research Technologies (CSART), Sydney, NSW 2021, Australia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 28;19(7):4015. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19074015.
The youth mental health sector is persistently challenged by issues such as service fragmentation and inefficient resource allocation. Systems modelling and simulation, particularly utilizing participatory approaches, is offering promise in supporting evidence-informed decision making with limited resources by testing alternative strategies in safe virtual environments before implementing them in the real world. However, improved evaluation efforts are needed to understand the critical elements involved in and to improve methods for implementing participatory modelling for youth mental health system and service delivery. An evaluation protocol is described to evaluate the feasibility, value, impact, and sustainability of participatory systems modelling in delivering advanced decision support capabilities for youth mental health. This study applies a comprehensive multi-scale evaluation framework, drawing on participatory action research principles as well as formative, summative, process, and outcome evaluation techniques. Novel data collection procedures are presented, including online surveys that incorporate gamification to enable social network analysis and patient journey mapping. The evaluation approach also explores the experiences of diverse stakeholders, including young people with lived (or living) experience of mental illness. Social and technical opportunities will be uncovered, as well as challenges implementing these interdisciplinary methods in complex settings to improve youth mental health policy, planning, and outcomes. This study protocol can also be adapted for broader international applications, disciplines, and contexts.
青年心理健康领域一直面临着服务碎片化和资源分配效率低下等问题。系统建模和模拟，特别是利用参与式方法，通过在真实世界实施之前在安全的虚拟环境中测试替代策略，为在有限资源下支持基于证据的决策提供了希望。然而，需要改进评估工作，以了解参与式建模在实施青年心理健康系统和服务提供方面所涉及的关键要素，并改进方法。本文描述了一个评估协议，用于评估参与式系统建模在为青年心理健康提供先进决策支持能力方面的可行性、价值、影响和可持续性。本研究应用了全面的多尺度评估框架，借鉴参与式行动研究原则以及形成性、总结性、过程性和结果性评估技术。本文提出了新颖的数据收集程序，包括在线调查，其中包含游戏化，以实现社交网络分析和患者旅程映射。评估方法还探讨了不同利益相关者的经验，包括有（或正在经历）精神疾病的年轻人。将揭示社会和技术机会，以及在复杂环境中实施这些跨学科方法以改善青年心理健康政策、规划和结果所面临的挑战。本研究方案也可以适应更广泛的国际应用、学科和背景。
