Research Call Out

VMIAC is excited to promote this call out for consumer research participants. Experienced consumer Worker, Vrinda Edan, is studying consumer lived experiences of using advance statements, and inpatient admission. Find out more by reading the research call out below!

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Hello,

I am an experienced consumer worker currently undertaking a PhD at University of Melbourne. I am interested in the experience of people who have written an advance statement and then have an inpatient admission to a mental health unit.

I am looking for people who have this experience and would like to complete a survey or to talk to me about it.

I am also interested if you know about advance statements or what the process was like writing one.

What is this research about?

This research is interested in the experiences that people have when they have an advance statement and then an inpatient admission. I developed this study because advance statements are an important tool under the Mental Health Act to support people’s treatment preferences in mental health services. The project aims to answer the following questions:

1. What are the experiences of people in relation to using an advance statement during an inpatient admission?
2. What are the strategies that people can use to further support the use of their advance statements during an inpatient admission?

Who can be involved?

Anyone over the age of 18 who has used mental health services.

What will I be asked to do?

You can participate in this research in two ways. You may choose to complete the survey (available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Advance_Statement

The survey should take about 10 mins but may take longer if you decide to leave more details about your experience.

After completing the survey, if you choose to leave an email address, you will receive a $15 electronic Coles or Woolworths voucher. Leaving your details for the gift voucher will not be linked to the completed survey and all results from the survey will remain anonymous. These vouchers are to acknowledge your time and cover any costs associated with your participation in this research.

What will happen to information about me?

All data collected as part of the study will not be used in any way that will identify you. All data will be stored in a locked filing cabinet in the PhD student office in the University of Melbourne. Only the named researchers will have access to it. All data will be stored securely for a period of seven years after the last publication. At this time, all electronic data will be destroyed using secure-erasing software, and hard copy data will be shredded.

During the Covid-19 restrictions, all paperwork will be kept by Vrinda Edan in a personal locked filing cabinet.

What are the possible benefits?

Advance statements were included in the Mental Health Act Vic (2014) as an important way that people can have their treatment preferences known at a time that they are experiencing distress, however there is little known about the usefulness of them during a compulsory inpatient admission. By understanding what the experience of the use of advance statements during an admission is, it is hoped that more advocacy for their use and development can occur.

If you would like any further information about this study, please contact me on

Tel: 0433054346 Email: edanv@student.unimelb.edu.au