EvAluation of ChatHealth (EACH)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A realist evaluation of how young people experience the school nursing ChatHealth system for addressing their physical and mental wellbeing health needs.
IRAS ID
224301
Contact name
Karen Whittaker
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Central Lancashire
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 28 days
Research summary
Modernised health services are using digital technologies, such as ‘Chat Health’, a confidential school nurse text-messaging service for 11 – 19 year olds. Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust (LCFT) are using ChatHealth to improve access to school nurse services, however, this provision has not been independently evaluated.
Aim: To develop an understanding of the how the ChatHealth text messaging system works and consider the implications of this for school nurse practice.
Study design: A theory driven realist evaluation (Pawson and Tilley, 1997) using quantitative and qualitative approaches to i) establishing service assumptions, and ii) exploring service experiences in order to identify mechanisms (M), outcomes (O) and the contexts (C).
Sample: Young people (ages 13-16) from 2 Lancashire schools (n=100), school nurses working within LCFT NHS Trust (n=6) and key stakeholders e.g. teachers, commissioners and service leads (n=8). NHS HRA approval will be in place before accessing NHS services and recruiting school nurses and relevant NHS stakeholders. Young people’s and teacher’s inclusion will be reviewed for governance and ethics by the University of Central Lancashire e-Ethics Committee for Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Health (STEMH).
Data collection: an anonymous online survey of young people; group discussions (young people); individual face-to-face or telephone interviews (school nurses); one consensus group exercise (stakeholders); review of school nurse audit/activity data; review of anonymised ChatHealth text message conversations made over a 12 month period; review of anonymised data from LCFT 2016-17 school health needs assessment survey.Data analysis: Quantitative data will be summarised using descriptive statistics. Transcriptions of audio recorded group discussions, interviews and anonymised text message conversations will be thematically analysed using qualitative data analysis software. We will combine quantitative and qualitative data to build CMO configurations.
Timeframe: data collection is due to commence in September 2017 with the study complete by end January 2018.REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NE/0291
Date of REC Opinion
5 Sep 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion