NewAccess is a low‐intensity cognitive behavioural program which was recently trialled for the first time in Australia for clients aged under 18. Given that accessing support earlier tends to result in better outcomes for people with mild‐to‐moderate mental health issues, having NewAccess available for young people has the potential to reduce the likelihood of mild‐to‐moderate mental health concerns developing into more serious, or chronic mental illness over time for some clients, while also freeing up resources for those with more severe support needs. This mixed methods approach presents the findings of an independent evaluation of the program delivered out of two regional headspace centres in 2017‐2019. From an initial sample of 165 young participants aged between 12 and 25, 109 completed the program. Of those who completed the program 60 were under the age of 18. The standardised assessment and outcome measures indicated a very good response to the program, with the majority showing significant improvements in their depression, anxiety and psychological distress scores. The overall ‘reliable improvement’ and ‘recovery rates’ were 64.2% and 72.3% respectively. Overall, the results indicated this program was an acceptable and efficacious intervention for young people in rural settings, when delivered in a ‘youth‐friendly’ service environment.
Globally there are an increasing number of older people who require care for a range of health concerns, the most significant of which for our health systems are those with chronic illnesses, or multiple chronic or complex conditions. Even in countries with the best rated healthcare systems, this change in demographics and health care needs poses a significant challenge. Many older people, particularly those in non-urban locations, currently experience a range of vulnerabilities which can impact on their health status. Technological solutions are required to support health systems to be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. In this context, socially accountable care needs to empower older people to make choices which align with their values, while also taking into account professional and familial care-givers, equitable care provision in what are often large and disjointed systems, and resource constraints. Intelligent technologies offer the potential to reduce some of the burden on health care systems, while simultaneously providing person-centered care, enabling improvements to older people's wellbeing. Through the findings of a relatively simple technologybased health intervention we explore how these benefits will only be realized if such technologies are designed and implemented with exceptional social accountability in place.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.