Emergency medical personnel perspectives on value and use of tailored discussion forum for mental health support. A qualitative longitudinal study.

Emergency medical personnel participated in a qualitative longitudinal survey across three time points with declining participation over time.

• A total of 37 participants joined the qualitative survey at time-point 1 (T1), 17 at time-point 2 (T2), and four at time-point 3 (T3).
• The study used a survey as a qualitative longitudinal tool.
• Participants were users of the anonymous online discussion forum RUPERT, dedicated to rescue and emergency workers' mental health support.

Thematic analysis identified 34 dominant subthemes within seven a priori domains and six overarching themes across domains.

• The six overarching themes were: Shared experiences and mutual understanding, Support networks and Social connection, Access to Information and Practical tools, Barriers to Participation and Usability, Mental health and Work-related challenges, and Curiosity and Passive participation.
• Seven a priori domains were used to organize the analysis.
• The thematic analysis covered perceptions, experiences, and expectations related to support needs, information sought, perceived benefits, interests expressed, and perceived value and advantages of RUPERT.

Shared experiences and mutual understanding emerged as a central overarching theme reflecting the perceived value of the forum.

• Emergency medical personnel valued the ability to connect with others who had similar job-related experiences.
• This theme was identified as one of six overarching themes generated from 34 dominant subthemes.
• The forum's anonymous nature was a design feature considered relevant to fostering open sharing among users.

Barriers to participation and usability were identified as a distinct overarching theme hindering engagement with the online forum.

• Barriers to Participation and Usability was one of the six overarching themes identified across the qualitative longitudinal analysis.
• The findings suggested that usability and accessibility issues were present concerns for emergency medical personnel using RUPERT.
• These barriers were identified as relevant considerations for future user-centered design principles in terms of functionality and accessibility.

Curiosity and passive participation was identified as a theme reflecting how some emergency medical personnel engaged with the forum.

• Passive participation was characterized as a form of engagement where users observed or read content without actively contributing.
• This theme was one of six overarching themes generated by the thematic analysis.
• The presence of this theme suggests that not all users engaged interactively with the forum content.

Emergency medical personnel experience high job-related strain that elevates their risk for mental ill-health and depressive symptoms.

• This elevated occupational risk was stated as the rationale for developing and studying the RUPERT online forum.
• The study population included rescue and emergency workers as the primary target group for the mental health support tool.
• Mental health and work-related challenges was identified as one of the six overarching themes in the qualitative analysis.

The overarching themes identified are intended to serve as guidelines for practitioners developing online mental health content for emergency medical personnel.

• The authors stated that findings 'can support the future user-centered design principles in terms of functionality, usability, accessibility.'
• The results are positioned as having 'an important role for enhancing forums as an online tool for supporting rescue workers and emergency medical personnel.'
• The themes are described as able to 'serve as a guideline for practitioners who work on the content development via online tools for this population.'