Youth Med.Info: a case study in co-design of mental health medicines-information resources for children, young people and their parents/guardians.

OBJECTIVES

To address the lack of accurate and accessible mental health medicines-information resources for children, young people and their parents/guardians using design thinking to co-design free-to-use, video resources tailored to this audience.

DESIGN

A multiphase qualitative case study using the Double Diamond model of Design Thinking: Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver. This included iterative prototyping, thematic analysis and public and patient involvement throughout.

SETTING

Dublin, Ireland with online distribution of the final resources internationally through a free, open-access platform.

PARTICIPANTS

A multidisciplinary co-design team including two specialist mental health pharmacists, two academic pharmacists, five consultant psychiatrists, a psychiatric nurse, a youth content specialist, three youth activists and a parent representative.

RESULTS

26 co-designed, medicines-information videos were created, including versions for children (voiced by children), parents/guardians and young people. Videos feature storytelling formats with Bitmoji characters. Feedback from youth and parent collaborators guided design and content. Since launch, www.youthmed.info has had over 25 000 website views and more than 30 000 video views, with engagement from over 91 countries. The resources are also linked on national and international clinical and charity platforms.

CONCLUSIONS

Youth Med.Info addresses a gap in accessible, accurate mental health medicines-information by placing users - children, young people, parents/guardians and clinicians-at the centre of its design.