Implementing a web-based application for men’s health screening in a primary care setting during the Covid-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods pilot study

• Main Author: Ooi, Chor Yau
• Format: Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/42319/3/poster.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/42319/; https://arc-sl.nihr.ac.uk/events-training/events-training/6th-uk-and-ireland-implementation-science-research-conference-2023
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Men’s use of health screening remains low globally. This was more evident during the Covid-19 pandemic as most non-urgent services in the clinic were halted, including health screening. Technology can be used to overcome barriers to screening by improving accessibility, motivating and reminding individuals to get screened. ScreenMen is a web-based application that was developed to increase the uptake of men's health screening. This study was a process evaluation of the implementation of ScreenMen in a primary care setting. This study was conducted in a government health clinic using a mixed-method explanatory sequential design driven by the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework. We used a tailored intervention including: mandate change, provide education and training, identify and prepare champions, use of information and communication technology, and audit and provide feedback. Participants were staff and patients. We used Google Analytics to monitor patient uptake of ScreenMen for 5 months and conducted staff interviews to understand the implementation process. We used template analysis based on the RE-AIM framework. A total of 75 patients accessed the app. Access was higher as implementation started but subsequently dropped, and increased again towards the end of the period. The majority (51%) of patients accessed the app through QR codes. In qualitative analysis we found that access was lower than expected because of decreased patients in the clinic during the pandemic. The later increase in access was related to champion activity. Bunting promotes access due to its size and strategic placement. Staff found that mandated change was not useful as an implementation strategy. Making patients access the app in the clinic and using bunting were reported to be effective in implementing ScreenMen while mandate change was found to be least helpful.