Problem
Maari Ma Health is a community-controlled health organization dedicated to improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal communities in New South Wales, Australia.
In 2015, Maari Ma started a Youth Health Clinic (YHC) which conducted annual youth health checks to improve the health outcomes of the Aboriginal young people. Utilizing a paper-based version of the HEEADSSS (HEADSS) assessment, the annual youth health check assessed the wellbeing of young people in the community. However, the paper HEADSS format was met with low usage and engagement rates from youth, resulting in incomplete surveys, inaccurate responses, and missed information. Furthermore, their staff spent a significant amount of time administering and interpreting the results.
Solution
Population Health assessment and management with Tickit
In order to strengthen their population-based approach for better health management of young people and increase screening efficiency, Maari Ma reached out to Tickit Health and utilized Tickit®, an interactive digital platform that houses psychosocial assessments for youth. Tickit is uses Digital Empathy to make the Maari Ma Aboriginal Youth Psychosocial Screener more accessible, more engaging, and more trustworthy to increase response rates with youth and yield better outcomes.
The components of Tickit’s assessment – questions, images, graphics, and language, were modified and personalized to reflect the Aboriginal population of the community. For example, instead of asking the young person if they would like to talk more about an issue, the modified version asks “I’d like to yarn more about this” (Note: yarn is Australian slang for talking). The team at Maari Ma YHC knew it was important for the assessment tool to end on a positive note, so an additional category of questions called “strong” was added to Tickit. These questions were designed to empower youth by asking what makes them feel strong in their life.
Tickit was administered to young people prior to the appointment, giving them an opportunity to highlight the problems they’d like to discuss in detail. A safe and private environment, increased youth participation and disclosure, enhancing their care journey. Clinicians received flagged reports that highlighted and categorized critical information, risks, strengths, and issues about the young person. Streamlined and real-time reporting on Tickit’s Population Management Module provided a foundation for the clinician to address health-related risks more effectively with young people during appointments.
“We explored the issues with the patient, we made a plan to followup, and also provide them a referral. We do see a lot of issues and with nearly 50% of health checks today, we have to make a plan on how to follow up on these issues properly.”
– YHC staff member
Outcomes from Tickit’s Digital Empathy Maari Ma Aboriginal Youth Psychosocial Screener
- Higher Acceptability: 97% of young people who filled out Tickit before their Youth Health Check found that using the tablet was easy or very easy to use.
- Increased Disclosure: 96% of young people felt either comfortable or very comfortable answering the psychosocial assessment questions on Tickit.
- Usefulness: 91% of young people felt that their responses on Tickit would be helpful or very helpful for the youth health team.
- Adaptability: 100% of participants thought that questions asked on Tickit were relevant to them as Aboriginal young people living in their specific community.
- Accessibility: The clinic staff reported that 100% of young people attending the clinic for their annual youth health check used Tickit.
“Tickit is a good way to ask those difficult questions.It’s non-judgemental… When you are talking to young people about drugs and sex.”
– YHC Staff member
Tickit’s Impact at Youth Health Clinic
Tickit reduced consultation time and provided more accurate information when trying to assess risky behaviors amongst youth.
Tickit proved to be an interactive psychosocial assessment tool widely appreciated for its design, accessibility, and adaptability. The staff was happy to find higher self-disclosure amongst youth in regards to sharing details about their home, school, and social life. Prior to using Tickit, some harmful behaviors amongst this indigenous population went unnoticed. However, Tickit’s use helped clinicians to identify these behaviors and discuss an actionable plan to prevent health problems in the future and support Maari Ma’s long term care providing strategy.
“With Tickit, you can just have a quick look before they come into my consult room so I know which area I should concentrate on or talk more or get more information from them. That makes my consultation a bit easier, and a bit more thorough as well.”
– YHC Staff member
Acknowledgements
Maari Ma Health commissioned this evaluation in partnership with the NSW Ministry of Health. Maari Ma Health has provided support and approval for the results of this evaluation to be made public at the Australian Public Health Conference 2018.

Authors: Jessica Hehir 1, Tarissa Staker 2, Garth Alperstein 2, Bob Davis 2, Kendall Jackman 2, Aung Si Thu 2, Nan Htun 2, Sally Gibson 3
1. Public Health Training Program, NSW Ministry of Health 2. Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation, Broken Hill, NSW 3. Health and Social Policy Branch, NSW Ministry of Health
About Maari Ma Health: Maari Ma Health is an Aboriginal community-controlled health organization dedicated to improving the health outcomes for communities in the far west region of New South Wales, Australia, with a special focus on Aboriginal health. The organization is deeply committed to providing a holistic approach in healthcare by delivering a broad range of services in various dimensions – physical, emotional, spiritual, cultural and environmental.
About Tickit Health: Tickit Health houses the expertise to help organizations elevate their performance by harnessing the power of Digital Empathy. The flagship product, Tickit®, is an interactive proprietary digital surveying software that captures the unique needs of an individual and collects high-fidelity data for organizations to effectively manage their populations. Tickit Health has demonstrated the success of this tool in various industries, healthcare, market research, insurance and education across the US, Canada, and Australia.
About HEEADSSS Assessment: Adolescence is a challenging time when many emotional and physical changes take place. HEADSSS is a screening tool to assess risks that can be used for all adolescents. It provides a systematic approach to the adolescent interview progressing from the least threatening topics to the most personal and sensitive subjects. The acronym stands for: Home, Education/Employment, Eating, Activities, Drugs, Sexuality, Suicide/Depression, and Safety. This interview format is flexible and can be catered to all adolescents.

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