eCoaching pilot for mental health launched

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Picture: A screenshot of The Journal website; HiNZ 2019 speakers Penny Marlowe, project management lead at HealthTRx and Laurianne Reinsborough, HPA general manager operations

An eCoaching pilot for people using online self-help tool The Journal has been launched.

The Health Promotion Agency Te Hiringa Hauora and HealthTRx have developed the pilot, which will run over 12 months and aims to involve 500 participants referred by primary care clinicians.

Project management lead at HealthTRx Penny Marlowe and HPA general manager operations Laurianne Reinsborough will present on the project at the HiNZ Conference 2019 during Digital Health Week NZ.

The Journal is an online tool for people with mild-to-moderate depression or anxiety. Around 60,000 people have used The Journal since it launched.

Five eCoaches have now been trained to support people through the programme, using mainly text messaging and phone calls, to help them develop their learning, achieve their goals and monitor their safety. The coaches are available up to 8.30pm on weekdays and for Sunday afternoon sessions.

Marlowe says the pilot aims to increase access to mental health services by providing support for people on long waiting lists or who do not meet criteria for other services.

Also it will be useful for people who live in remote locations, have difficulty travelling to face-to-face appointments, or who find face-to-face treatment too confronting or stigmatising.

Marlowe explains that because the new service is peer led, eCoaching can help alleviate some of the current pressure on clinical services.

“Face-to-face services are already stretched, and this will provide another alternative,” she says.

Karl Metzler, chief executive at one of the pilot sites Gore Health, says the pilot is a great fit for a rural, remote location where both capacity and issues of privacy and anonymity can create challenges for people accessing care.

“For us it was an obvious initiative to get involved with and we are really excited about taking pressure off the system using the digital platforms that are out there,” he says.

The other pilot sites are Hauraki Primary Health Organisation, Pinnacle Midlands Health Network and two ProCare practices, where GPs will recruit participants with a focus on Māori, Pasifika and youth.

GPs get information fed directly back into their practice management system about how many  tasks from The Journal their patients complete and their PHQ9 score when they begin and exit the programme, as well as if there are any safety concerns about the participant.

Marlowe expects each engagement to last up to six weeks, with up to six key phone contacts, but part of the pilot is understanding exactly how eCoaching will look.

“Feedback from referral sites is that they really value that connection with the service in the community and getting information looped back,” she says.

HPA general manager operations Laurianne been part of the plans since The Journal was first created.

“The government has invested a lot in the National Depression Initiative and The Journal itself works; eCoaching is another service that can be offered to people while they are waiting to see a mental health service,” she says.

The organisations have taken an eCoaching programme manual developed in Canada and repurposed it for New Zealand.

The Journal platform has also been upgraded and integrated with Home Care Medical telehealth services for after-hours care.

Reinsborough says the pilot will be formally evaluated after one year by The Knowledge Institute. Interim results will come out this December and a full report next July.

Read more about Digital Health Week NZ 2019 

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