The GPI SWIFT team continues to make steady progress in implementing and evaluating the ParentText programme. Recruitment within participating clinics in the Western Cape, including rural sites, has now been completed. The team is currently conducting in-depth interviews with clinic staff who supported and promoted ParentText to patients, including nurses, pharmacists, operations managers, community healthcare workers, and administrative staff.
Their insights are helping to better understand how the programme is received and integrated into real-world healthcare settings. While clinic recruitment has closed, the study remains active as the team works toward its target sample size. Recruitment has expanded to sponsored social media campaigns, which will run over the next one to two weeks. This approach, alongside the introduction of participant incentives, is expected to boost enrolment, particularly for evaluating the child safety module.
Despite some challenges in reaching target numbers, the team remains optimistic. A key highlight has been the strong commitment from clinic staff, especially in under-resourced rural settings, where engagement has been particularly encouraging.
Working closely within clinic environments has also provided valuable insights into frontline service delivery and broader health system dynamics, reinforcing the role of healthcare platforms in supporting preventative interventions in parenting, mental health, and violence prevention.
In the coming weeks, the team will continue staff interviews, work toward final recruitment targets, and onboard part-time research assistants to support upcoming qualitative data collection with caregivers and adolescents.
Below, one of the clinic staff members takes us through the recruitment process.