Background Health information technologies (HITs) are becoming increasingly recognized for their potential to provide innovative solutions to improve the delivery of mental health services and drive system reforms for better outcomes. Objective This paper describes the baseline results of a study designed to systematically monitor and evaluate the impact of implementing an HIT, namely the InnoWell Platform, into Australian mental health services to facilitate the iterative refinement of the HIT and the service model in which it is embedded to meet the needs of consumers and their supportive others as well as health professionals and service providers. Methods Data were collected via web-based surveys, semistructured interviews, and a workshop with staff from the mental health services implementing the InnoWell Platform to systematically monitor and evaluate its impact. Descriptive statistics, Fisher exact tests, and a reliability analysis were used to characterize the findings from the web-based surveys, including variability in the results between the services. Semistructured interviews were coded using a thematic analysis, and workshop data were coded using a basic content analysis. Results Baseline data were collected from the staff of 3 primary youth mental health services (n=18), a counseling service for veterans and their families (n=23), and a helpline for consumers affected by eating disorders and negative body image issues (n=6). As reported via web-based surveys, staff members across the services consistently agreed or strongly agreed that there was benefit associated with using technology as part of their work (38/47, 81%) and that the InnoWell Platform had the potential to improve outcomes for consumers (27/45, 60%); however, there was less certainty as to whether their consumers’ capability to use technology aligned with how the InnoWell Platform would be used as part of their mental health care (11/45, 24% of the participants strongly disagreed or disagreed; 15/45, 33% were neutral; and 19/45, 42% strongly agreed or agreed). During the semistructured interviews (n=3) and workshop, participants consistently indicated that the InnoWell Platform was appropriate for their respective services; however, they questioned whether the services’ respective consumers had the digital literacy required to use the technology. Additional potential barriers to implementation included health professionals’ digital literacy and service readiness for change. Conclusions Despite agreement among participants that HITs have the potential to result in improved outcomes for consumers and services, service readiness for change (eg, existing technology infrastructure and the digital literacy of staff and consumers) was noted to potentially impact the success of implementation, with less than half (20/45, 44%) of the participants indicating that their service was ready to implement new technologies to enhance mental health care. Furthermore, participants reported mixed opinions as to whether it was their responsibility to recommend technology as part of standard care.

Background The recent Australian National Agenda for Eating Disorders highlights the role technology can play in improving accessibility and service development through web-based prevention, early access pathways, self-help, and recovery assistance. However, engagement with the eating disorders community to co-design, build, and evaluate these much-needed technology solutions through participatory design processes has been lacking and, until recently, underresourced. Objective This study aims to customize and configure a technology solution for a nontraditional (web-based, phone, email) mental health service that provides support for eating disorders and body image issues through the use of participatory design processes. Methods Participants were recruited chiefly through the Butterfly National Helpline 1800 ED HOPE (Butterfly’s National Helpline), an Australian-wide helpline supporting anyone concerned by an eating disorder or body image issue. Participants included individuals with lived experience of eating disorders and body image issues, their supportive others (such as family, health professionals, support workers), and staff of the Butterfly Foundation. Participants took part in participatory design workshops, running up to four hours, which were held nationally in urban and regional locations. The workshop agenda followed an established process of discovery, evaluation, and prototyping. Workshop activities included open and prompted discussion, reviewing working prototypes, creating descriptive artifacts, and developing user journeys. Workshop artifacts were used in a knowledge translation process, which identified key learnings to inform user journeys, user personas, and the customization and configuration of the InnoWell Platform for Butterfly’s National Helpline. Further, key themes were identified using thematic techniques and coded in NVivo 12 software. Results Six participatory design workshops were held, of which 45 participants took part. Participants highlighted that there is a critical need to address some of the barriers to care, particularly in regional and rural areas. The workshops highlighted seven overarching qualitative themes: identified barriers to care within the current system; need for people to be able to access the right care anywhere, anytime; recommendations for the technological solution (ie, InnoWell Platform features and functionality); need for communication, coordination, and integration of a technological solution embedded in Butterfly’s National Helpline; need to consider engagement and tone within the technological solution; identified challenges and areas to consider when implementing a technological solution in the Helpline; and potential outcomes of the technological solution embedded in the Helpline relating to system and service reform. Ultimately, this technology solution should ensure that the right care is provided to individuals the first time. Conclusions Our findings highlight the value of actively engaging stakeholders in participatory design processes for the customization and configuration of new technologies. End users can highlight the critical areas of need, which can be used as a catalyst for reform through the implementation of these technologies in nontraditional services.

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BACKGROUND Health information technologies (HITs) are becoming increasingly recognised for their potential to provide innovative solutions to improve the delivery of mental health services and drive system reform for better outcomes. A growing body of research aims to evaluate how innovative HITs can be co-designed and successfully implemented in mental health services to enhance their provision of care. OBJECTIVE The objective of this paper is to describe baseline results for a study designed to systematically monitor and evaluate the impact of implementing HIT-enabled solutions into Australian mental health services, with the aim of facilitating the iterative refinement of these solutions to meet the needs of consumers and their supportive others as well as health professionals and service providers. METHODS Data were collected via Web-based surveys, semi-structured interviews, and a workshop with staff from the mental health services implementing the HIT-enabled solutions to systematically monitor and evaluate their impact. Descriptive statistics and Fisher exact tests were used to characterise the findings from the Web-based surveys, including variability in the results based on service. Semi-structured interviews were coded using thematic analysis and workshop data was coded using basic content analysis. RESULTS At the end of the first phase of impact evaluation, baseline data had been collected from staff from three primary youth mental health services (n=18), a counselling service for veterans and their families (n=23), and a helpline for individuals affected by eating disorders and negative body image issues (n=6). As reported via Web-based surveys, staff members across the services consistently “agreed” or “strongly agreed” there was benefit associated with using technology as part of their work (80.9%) and that HIT-enabled solutions have the potential to improve outcomes for consumers (60.0%); however, there was less certainty as to whether their consumers’ capability to use technology aligned with how solutions would be used as part of their mental health care (24.4% “strongly disagreed” or “disagreed”; 33.3% “neutral”; and 42.2% “strongly agreed” or “agreed”). Implementation barriers and facilitators for consumers, health professionals and at the service level were derived from the baseline semi-structured interviews (n=3) and a workshop. Participants consistently indicated that the HIT-enabled solution was appropriate for their respective services; however, questioned whether their consumers had the digital literacy required to use the technology. Additional potential barriers to implementation included health professional’s digital literacy as well as service readiness for change in relation to adopting the HIT-enabled model of care. CONCLUSIONS Baseline data from the first phase of data collection highlight consistent themes related to the successful implementation of HIT-enabled solutions in mental health services, including the value of assessing service readiness for change (e.g. existing technology infrastructure and the digital literacy of staff and consumers), the importance of leadership from senior service management and local champions to drive quality improvement, and the necessity for effective education and training in the context of continuous on the ground support. Longitudinal data will provide a deeper understanding of the impact of HIT-enabled solutions on service quality and digital readiness and competence as well as the social return on investment and the quality, usability and acceptability of the solution.

Background Previous research on body image distress mainly relied on samples that were small, generally homogeneous in age or sex, often limited to one geographical region, and were characterized by a lack of comprehensive analysis of multiple psychosocial domains. The research presented in this paper extends the international literature using the results of the web-based Global Health and Wellbeing Survey 2015. The survey included a large sample of both men and women aged ≥16 years from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, or the United States. Objective The main objectives of this study are to examine body image distress across the adult life span (≥16 years) and sex and assess the association between body image distress and various psychosocial risk and protective factors. Methods Data were extracted from the Global Health and Wellbeing Survey 2015, a web-based international self-report survey with 10,765 respondents, and compared with previous web-based surveys conducted in 2009 and 2012. Results The body image distress of young Australians (aged 16-25 years) significantly rose by 33% from 2009 to 2015. In 2015, 75.19% (961/1278) of 16- to 25-year-old adults reported body image distress worldwide, and a decline in body image distress was noted with increasing age. More women reported higher levels of body image distress than men (1953/3338, 58.51% vs 853/2175, 39.22%). Sex, age, current dieting status, perception of weight, psychological distress, alcohol and other substance misuse, and well-being significantly explained 24% of the variance in body image distress in a linear regression (F15,4966=105.8; P<.001). Conclusions This study demonstrates the significant interplay between body image distress and psychosocial factors across age and sex.