Understanding integrated mental health care in “real-world” primary care settings: What matters to health care providers and clients for evaluation and improvement?

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allyson Ion ◽  
Nadiya Sunderji ◽  
Gwen Jansz ◽  
Abbas Ghavam-Rassoul
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Cavero ◽  
Francisco Diez-Canseco ◽  
Mauricio Toyama ◽  
Gustavo Flórez Salcedo ◽  
Alessandra Ipince ◽  
...  

Background: This study aimed to understand the offer of mental health care at the primary care level, collecting the views of psychologists, primary health care providers (PHCPs), and patients, with a focus on health services in which patients attend regularly and who present a higher prevalence of mental disorders. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in antenatal care, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and chronic diseases services from six primary health care centers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with psychologists, PHCPs, and patients working in or attending the selected facilities.  Results: A total of 4 psychologists, 22 PHCPs, and 37 patients were interviewed. A high perceived need for mental health care was noted. PHCPs acknowledged the emotional impact physical health conditions have on their patients and mentioned that referral to psychologists was reserved only for serious problems. Their approach to emotional problems was providing emotional support (includes listening, talk about their patients’ feelings, provide advice). PHCPs identified system-level barriers about the specialized mental health care, including a shortage of psychologists and an overwhelming demand, which results in brief consultations and lack in continuity of care. Psychologists focus their work on individual consultations; however, consultations were brief, did not follow a standardized model of care, and most patients attend only once. Psychologists also mentioned the lack of collaborative work among other healthcare providers. Despite these limitations, interviewed patients declared that they were willing to seek specialized care if advised and considered the psychologist's care provided as helpful; however, they recognized the stigmatization related to seeking mental health care. Conclusions: There is a perceived need of mental health care for primary care patients. To attend these needs, PHCPs provide emotional support and refer to psychology the most severe cases, while psychologists provide one-to-one consultations. Significant limitations in the care provided are discussed.


1997 ◽  
Vol 42 (9) ◽  
pp. 943-949 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Craven ◽  
M Cohen ◽  
D Campbell ◽  
J Williams ◽  
Nick Kates

Objective: To obtain descriptions of how family physicians detect and manage mental health problems commonly encountered in their practices and how they function in their role as mental health care providers. Also, to elicit their perceptions of barriers to the delivery of optimal mental health care. Method: Focus groups with standardized questions were used to elicit descriptive data, opinions, attitudes, and terminology. Convenience samples of 10 to 12 physicians were chosen in each of Ontario's 7 health care planning regions, with a mixture of rural, urban, and university settings. Discussions were audiotaped, transcribed, analyzed, and recurring themes were extracted. Results: Family physicians' descriptions of the range of problems commonly encountered and their detection and management highlight the unique nature of mental health care in the primary care setting. The realities of family medicine, the undifferentiated nature of presenting problems, the long-term physician–patient relationship, and the frequent overlap of physical and mental health problems dictate an approach to diagnosis and treatment that differs from mental health care delivery in other settings. Difficulties in the relationship with local psychiatric services—accessing psychiatric care (especially for emergencies), poor communication with mental health care providers, and cumbersome intake procedures of many mental health services—were consistently identified as barriers to the delivery of optimal mental health care. Conclusions: This study confirms the importance of the family physician in the detection and management of mental health problems. It offers insights into how family physicians function in their role as mental health care providers and how they deal with diagnostic and management challenges that are specific to primary care. It also identifies barriers to the optimal delivery of mental health care in the primary care setting, including difficulties at the clinical interface between psychiatry and family medicine. Further studies are needed to explore these issues in greater depth.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Cavero ◽  
Francisco Diez-Canseco ◽  
Mauricio Toyama ◽  
Gustavo Flórez Salcedo ◽  
Alessandra Ipince ◽  
...  

Background: This study aimed to understand the offer of mental health care at the primary care level, collecting the views of psychologists, primary health care providers (PHCPs), and patients, with a focus on health services in which patients attend regularly and who present a higher prevalence of mental disorders. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in antenatal care, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and chronic diseases services from six primary health care centers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with psychologists, PHCPs, and patients working in or attending the selected facilities.  Results: A total of 4 psychologists, 22 PHCPs, and 37 patients were interviewed. A high perceived need for mental health care was noted. PHCPs acknowledged the emotional impact physical health conditions have on their patients and mentioned that referral to psychologists was reserved only for serious problems. Their approach to emotional problems was providing emotional support (includes listening, talk about their patients’ feelings, provide advice). PHCPs identified system-level barriers about the specialized mental health care, including a shortage of psychologists and an overwhelming demand, which results in brief consultations and lack in continuity of care. Psychologists focus their work on individual consultations; however, consultations were brief, did not follow a standardized model of care, and most patients attend only once. Psychologists also mentioned the lack of collaborative work among other healthcare providers. Despite these limitations, interviewed patients declared that they were willing to seek specialized care if advised and considered the psychologist's care provided as helpful; however, they recognized the stigmatization related to seeking mental health care. Conclusions: There is a perceived need of mental health care for primary care patients. To attend these needs, PHCPs provide emotional support and refer to psychology the most severe cases, while psychologists provide one-to-one consultations. Significant limitations in the care provided are discussed.


SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A294-A294
Author(s):  
Ivan Vargas ◽  
Alexandria Muench ◽  
Mark Seewald ◽  
Cecilia Livesey ◽  
Matthew Press ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Past epidemiological research indicates that insomnia and depression are both highly prevalent and tend to co-occur in the general population. The present study further assesses this association by estimating: (1) the concurrence rates of insomnia and depression in outpatients referred by their primary care providers for mental health care; and (2) whether the association between depression and insomnia varies by insomnia subtype (initial, middle, and late). Methods Data were collected from 3,174 patients (mean age=42.7; 74% women; 50% Black) who were referred to the integrated care program for assessment of mental health symptoms (2018–2020). All patients completed an Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and a Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) during their evaluations. Total scores for the ISI and PHQ-9 were computed. These scores were used to categorize patients into diagnostic groups for insomnia (no-insomnia [ISI < 8], subthreshold-insomnia [ISI 8–14], and clinically-significant-insomnia [ISI>14]) and depression (no-depression [PHQ-914]). Items 1–3 of the ISI were also used to assess the association between depression and subtypes of insomnia. Results Rates of insomnia were as follows: 34.6% for subthreshold-insomnia, 35.5% for clinically-significant insomnia, and 28.9% for mild-depression and 26.9% for clinically-significant-depression. 92% of patients with clinically significant depression reported at least subthreshold levels of insomnia. While the majority of patients with clinical depression reported having insomnia, the proportion of patients that endorsed these symptoms were comparable across insomnia subtypes (percent by subtype: initial insomnia 63%; middle insomnia 61%; late insomnia 59%). Conclusion According to these data, the proportion of outpatients referred for mental health evaluations that endorse treatable levels of insomnia is very high (approximately 70%). This naturally gives rise to at least two questions: how will such symptomatology be addressed (within primary or specialty care) and what affect might targeted treatment for insomnia have on health were it a focus of treatment in general? Support (if any) Vargas: K23HL141581; Perlis: K24AG055602


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