{"id":1632,"date":"2019-05-15T14:52:33","date_gmt":"2019-05-15T14:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/centre-for-trials-research\/?p=1632"},"modified":"2022-04-13T13:59:10","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T13:59:10","slug":"supporting-successful-phds-dr-sarah-rees-and-the-arbour-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/centre-for-trials-research\/supporting-successful-phds-dr-sarah-rees-and-the-arbour-app\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting Successful PhDs: Dr Sarah Rees and the Arbour App"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sarah Rees recently passed her viva and gained her PhD: The development of an intervention to support doctors and medical students in their decision whether to disclose their mental ill health. With support from Professor Debbie Cohen, School of Medicine, and Professor Michael Robling from the Centre for Trials Research. The Centre supports a number of PhD students. Here Sarah explains the research she carried out, her journey and the development of an innovative app called Arbour.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was the background to your PhD research?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The idea for my PhD developed from a previous study on which\nI worked on for the School of Medicine. \nI was employed on a study (funded by the postgraduate training body, the\nWales Deanery) that surveyed UK doctors anonymously about disclosure of their\nown mental ill health to the workplace (Cohen, Winstanley,\n& Greene, 2016).  The online survey of 1% of UK doctors found a\ndiscrepancy.  Those doctors with a\nhistory of mental ill health behaved differently to how doctors with no such\nhistory expected they would behave if faced with mental ill health in the\nfuture.  It was clear from this work that\na full understanding of how disclosure decisions are made by doctors was\nlacking.  Intention to disclose mental\nill health did not translate into actual disclosures.  Qualitative comments highlighted how doctors\nstruggle with disclosure decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My background is in Health Psychology.\u00a0 My interest in behaviour change interventions led to the idea of this PhD: could an intervention based on behaviour change principles support doctors and medical students in their decision-making about whether to disclose their mental ill health?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cohen, D., Winstanley, S., &\nGreene, G. (2016). Understanding doctors\u2019 attitudes towards self-disclosure of\nmental ill health. Occupational Medicine, 66<\/em>(5), 383-389.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What research question was your study looking to address?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My study sought to understand the attitudes and experiences\nof doctors and medical students in their decision-making about disclosing their\nmental ill health, and to develop an intervention to aid doctors and medical\nstudents in their decision-making about whether to disclose their mental ill\nhealth.  Doctors and medical students\nunder-disclose their mental ill health. \nDelaying treatment for mental ill health is associated with negative\noutcomes.  Non-disclosure to the workplace\nor medical school is an obstacle to doctors and medical students receiving\nappropriate support and workplace adjustments. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was novel about the study idea or research approach for the PhD?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The intervention was a new application of the counselling\nmethod Motivational Interviewing (MI). It aims to support individual doctors\nand medical students in their decision-making about their mental ill health,\nand is the first to address this need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The literature shows that some electronic health behaviour\nchange interventions using MI have attempted to replicate a practitioner-client\ninteraction.  The intervention developed\nfor my thesis used an alternative approach more aligned with \u2018self-help\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did the Arbour app fit in with the PhD?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Early in the development process a preference was expressed\nby potential users for an electronic intervention.  Further work then suggested that an app would\nbe the best option.  Within the\nlimitations of time and money within my PhD, I was only able to create a web\nversion of the intervention.  Funding was\nthen obtained from the National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH) beyond the\nscope of my PhD to create the app version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did the results \/ app demonstrate? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My PhD concluded\nwith a preliminary evaluation of the acceptability, feasibility and content\nvalidity of the web version of the intervention.  Findings suggested that the intervention was\ngenerally acceptable, and that there is value in supporting doctors and medical\nstudents in their decision-making about their mental ill health.  Further work is needed to understand whether\nthe intervention tool is effective in addressing its key aims, and among which\ndemographics of users.  The study provided\na range of findings to inform further development.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where can interested members of the public and researchers access the app? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n