ABSTRACT
Background Children and families from priority populations experienced significant psychosocial and mental health issues to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet they also faced significant barriers to service access, particularly families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. With most child and family health nurse clinics ceasing in-person consultations due to the pandemic, many children missed out on health and developmental checks. The aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives and experiences of family members and service providers from an urban, CALD community regarding the implementation of a digital, developmental surveillance, Watch Me Grow-Electronic (WMG-E) program.Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 family members, service navigators, and service providers in a multicultural community in South Western Sydney, Australia. This qualitative study formed part of a larger, two-site, randomised controlled trial of the WMG-E program. A reflexive thematic analysis approach was adopted to analyse the data.Results Participants highlighted the comprehensive and personalised support offered by existing child and family health services. The WMG-E was deemed beneficial because the weblink was easy and quick to use and it enabled access to a service navigator who support family access to relevant services. However, the WMG-E was problematic because of technology or language barriers, and it did not facilitate immediate clinician involvement when families completed the weblink.Conclusions Families and service providers found that using WMG-E empowered parents and caregivers to access developmental screening and learn more about their child’s development and engage with relevant services. This beds down a new and innovative solution to the current service delivery gap and create mechanisms that can engage families currently not accessing services, and develops and increases knowledge around navigating the health and social care services.Trial registration: The study is part of a large randomised controlled trial (Protocol No. 1.0, Version 3.1) was registered with ANZCTR (registration number: ACTRN12621000766819) on July 21st, 2021 and reporting of the trial results will be according to recommendations in the CONSORT Statement.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Background Encouraging healthy childhood development and aiding the early identification of developmental difficulties are crucial to providing the best possible outcomes. Young children in rural areas are at a higher risk of missing timely developmental screening than their non-rural counterparts. This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a digital developmental surveillance program with a service navigator, Watch Me Grow-Electronic (WMG-E), trialled in rural Australia via a randomised controlled trial (RCT).Methods Ten parents who participated in the RCT and six service providers were interviewed. All parents completed the WMG-E weblink questionnaire on their digital devices. Five parents in the intervention group received ongoing support from a service navigator after completing the questionnaire. Transcripts were analysed via reflexive thematic analysis.Results The study revealed barriers and enablers of both the existing Child and Family Health Services (CFHS) and the WMG-E program comprising of a weblink and service navigation. Enablers of the CFHS included the flexible service options and comprehensive support model, while also acknowledging the resource barriers and service capacity limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Enablers of WMG-E weblink included its valuable feedback on child development, digital accessibility benefits, and user-friendly interface. Barriers of the WMG-E weblink included limited clinician oversight during survey completion, and technological barriers related to the digital format. Enablers of the WMG-E service navigation included the ability to address service gaps by connecting families to local services, provide support during waitlist periods, and alleviate the strain on understaffed remote healthcare facilities.Conclusions Access to digital support was perceived as particularly valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic when services were closed. The WMG-E program offers a promising avenue to improve the accessibility and uptake of developmental screening services in rural Australia when functioning in harmony with existing care providers.Trial registration: The study is part of a large randomised controlled trial (Protocol No. 1.0, Version 3.1) was registered with ANZCTR (registration number: ACTRN12621000766819) on July 21st, 2021 and reporting of the trial results will be according to recommendations in the CONSORT Statement.