Using the DAWBA in Clinical Settings: A Feasibility Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Using the Development and Wellbeing Assessment (DAWBA) in Clinical Settings: A Feasibility Study
IRAS ID
346289
Contact name
Tamsin Ford
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 3 days
Research summary
There is international recognition of a growing CAMHS crisis, however, the majority of clinical practice in child mental health care remains ad hoc, variable, and unevidenced. The current study will respond to these challenges by building towards establishing whether the Development and Wellbeing Assessment (DAWBA) could be used as a national routine outcome measure (ROM) across CAMHS.
The DAWBA is an online, diagnostic assessment for 2–17-year-olds combining structured and semi-structured data about symptoms and impact of divergent mental health conditions. There are parallel interviews for parents and 11–16-year-olds. For children 2–10-years-old only parent assessments are completed. The psychometric properties of the DAWBA are well established, making it an ideal candidate for use as a ROM across CAMHS.
The study aims to assess the feasibility of using DAWBA as a ROM in CAMHS. Using data from 2 CAMHS clinics in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust (CPFT), we will examine the resource implications of employing the DAWBA in everyday clinical practice. We will also access anonymised data to understand the uptake of the measure (i.e. calculate how many patients receive the DAWBA against how many complete it). Finally, we will conduct a small audit to see what sort of cases go through the local CAMHS, describing, for example, their complexity and the comorbidity of diagnoses. The study will run for 1 year beginning in November 2024.
Semi-structured 20 minute interviews will be conducted with all staff from the 2 clinics (N=20), when they will be asked about their experiences of using the DAWBA. All patients with completed DAWBA data will be eligible for the study. The research team will not have any direct contact with patients; consent will be taken by CPFT staff following which, they will transfer anonymised DAWBAs to the research team.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/EM/0025
Date of REC Opinion
6 Mar 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion