Co-designing perinatal mental health support in Tyrol

Research area: Psychological & psychiatric interventions

This AIHTA third-party funding is part of a larger FWF-Project
Principal investigator: Jean Paul Mmedical University Innsbruck)
Further partners: University Innsbruck, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rehabilitation Research
Duration: April 2022 to March 2027
Language: English and German

Background: Mental illness is the most common complication associated with pregnancy and childbirth. It affects about one in five mothers and more than one in ten fathers during the perinatal period (including 1 year after birth). Apart from the impact on the affected individuals themselves, it is known that mental illness in parents during this period can significantly affect child development. In addition to the effects on the health and quality of life of those affected and their families, perinatal mental illnesses also result in extensive economic costs. In Austria, existing prevention and support structures vary widely from region to region. In Tyrol, based on workshops with stakeholders including people with lived experience, there is a lack of awareness among the public but also among health professionals, a lack of screening and prevention activities and also limited coordination of services, as well as concrete gaps in services offering treatment.

Aim: The aim of the project is to develop an evidence-informed improvement approach in the field of perinatal mental health care in Tyrol. The approach will be developed together with stakeholders (representatives of people with lived experience, service providers, etc.) in a participatory process. The overall process and the co-designed program will be comprehensively evaluated.

Method: We will carry out the project through five work packages to scope, co-design, implement and evaluate the developed approach and to disseminate the findings widely. Work packages (WP) include: 

1. Scoping: analysis of existing evidence on perinatal mental health care models and effective preventive approaches, as well as effective care structures (see Evidence analysis with AIHTA first authorship: Review on perinatal and infant mental health care models and pathways); in addition, analysis of current practice and care situation in Austria and Tyrol to identify existing approaches, barriers and gaps. 

2. Co-Development: Design of an approach to improve the situation in the form of co-design workshops with stakeholders.

3. Implementation of the co-designed approach based on strategies from implementation science to support successful implementation into practice.

4. Evaluation: formative evaluation (feasibility, acceptance, appropriateness), process evaluation, evaluation of outcomes, economic dimensions and impact based on a realist evaluation framework.

5. Dissemination of the results and learnings to a broad target audience: stakeholder, scientific community, people with lived experience.

Time schedule:

April 2022 to March 2023:

• (Systematic) literature reviews to identify key elements for the Tyrolean support approach
• Mapping of services and epidemiological situation in Austria and Tyrol
• Analysis of administrative data on the uptake of psychiatric services before and during pregnancy as well as 1 year after birth

April 2023 to March 2024:

• Stakeholder workshops to co-design the support approach in Tyrol
• Preparing implementation and evaluation
• Training of practitioners (if required)

April 2024 to March 2027:

• Implementation (piloting) and evaluation