Mental health professionals discussing spiritual care for psychiatric outpatients: a qualitative study of multidisciplinary meetings

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart Cusveller ◽  
Maarten van Garderen ◽  
Joan Roozemond-Kroon

Abstract Aim: To explore how mental health professionals address spiritual care for outpatients in weekly multidisciplinary care meetings (MDM), and to explore the barriers and facilitators in the ways health professionals address spiritual care in those meetings. Method: Two teams of mental health professionals providing care for psychiatric outpatients are included. Qualitative data were collected from audio recordings of multidisciplinary meetings and from focus-group interviews afterwards. Data were analysed using ‘open coding’. Results: Spiritual care was not frequently addressed mostly due to the requirements of the health insurance reimbursement system. Aspects of spirituality addressed in these meetings pertained mainly to meaningful daily activities. Addressing spiritual care was facilitated, on the other hand, by a holistic focus on health and recovery-oriented care. Conclusion: In ambulatory mental healthcare spirituality is sparsely addressed and, when addressed, few aspects of spirituality come into view. Facilitating healthcare professionals’ awareness of their clinical perspective is an essential step to improve spiritual care for psychiatric outpatients.

Author(s):  
Kim Jørgensen ◽  
Tonie Rasmussen ◽  
Morten Hansen ◽  
Kate Andreasson ◽  
Bengt Karlsson

This study aimed to explore how mental health professionals and users perceive recovery-oriented intersectoral care when comparing mental health hospitals and community mental healthcare. Methodological design: Five audio-recorded focus group interviews of nurses, other health professionals and users were explored using manifest and latent content analysis. Ethical issues and approval: The study was designed in accordance with the ethical principles of the Helsinki Declaration and Danish law. Each study participant in the two intersectoral sectors gave their informed consent after verbal and written information was provided. Findings: From the health professionals’ perspective, the main theme informed by subthemes and categories was formulated: ‘Recovery-oriented intersectoral care requires more coordination and desire for collaboration’. Two subthemes were subsequently formulated: ‘The users´ perspective of the centre’ and ‘Need for a common agenda and understanding of recovery-oriented intersectoral care’. From the users´ perspective, the main theme was formulated as: ‘Recovery-oriented intersectoral care in tension between medical- and holistically oriented care’. This theme was informed by two subthemes: ‘The users´ perspective is not in focus’ and ‘A trusting relationship and a holistic approach brings coherence’. Conclusions: This study reveals that health professionals want to work in a recovery-oriented manner in intersectoral care, but several challenges appear which make achieving this aim difficult. A common understanding of recovery and how it should be carried out in intersectoral care does not exist. Care decisions are primarily made paternalistically, where the users’ and relatives’ voices are ignored. In an attempt to create coherence across sectors, intersectoral network meetings have been established with health professionals from both sectors. However, the meetings are characterised by a lack of a clear purpose regarding the meeting structure and content, and users are only minimally involved. Our results can contribute to dealing with the challenges of incorporating recovery-oriented intersectoral care as an ideology in all psychiatric and municipal contexts and is, therefore, important for health professionals and users.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veikko Pelto-Piri ◽  
Lars Kjellin ◽  
Ulrika Hylén ◽  
Emanuele Valenti ◽  
Stefan Priebe

Abstract Objectives The objective of the study was to investigate how mental health professionals describe and reflect upon different forms of informal coercion. Results In a deductive qualitative content analysis of focus group interviews, several examples of persuasion, interpersonal leverage, inducements, and threats were found. Persuasion was sometimes described as being more like a negotiation. Some participants worried about that the use of interpersonal leverage and inducements risked to pass into blackmail in some situations. In a following inductive analysis, three more categories of informal coercion was found: cheating, using a disciplinary style and referring to rules and routines. Participants also described situations of coercion from other stakeholders: relatives and other authorities than psychiatry. The results indicate that informal coercion includes forms that are not obviously arranged in a hierarchy, and that its use is complex with a variety of pathways between different forms before treatment is accepted by the patient or compulsion is imposed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Mendes-Santos ◽  
Francisco Nunes ◽  
Elisabete Weiderpass ◽  
Rui Santana ◽  
Gerhard Andersson

BACKGROUND Despite Digital Mental Health’s potential to provide cost-effective mental healthcare, its adoption in clinical settings is limited and little is known about the perspectives and practices of mental health professionals regarding its implementation or the factors influencing such perspectives and practices. OBJECTIVE The current study aimed at characterizing in-depth the perspectives and practices of mental health professionals regarding the implementation of Digital Mental Health and exploring the factors impacting such perspectives and practices. METHODS A qualitative study using in-depth semi-structured interviews with Portuguese mental health professionals (N=13) - psychologists and psychiatrists – was conducted. Transcribed interviews were thematically analysed. RESULTS Mental health professionals deemed important or engaged in the following practices during the implementation of Digital Mental Health: i) Indication evaluation; ii) Therapeutic contract negotiation; iii) Digital psychological assessment; iv) Technology setup and management; and v) Intervention delivery and follow-up. Low threshold accessibility and professionals' perceived duty to provide support to their clients facilitated the implementation of Digital Mental Health. Conversely, the lack of structured intervention frameworks; the unavailability of usable, validated, and affordable technology; and the absence of structured training programmes, inhibited Digital Mental Health’s implementation by mental health professionals. CONCLUSIONS The publication of practice frameworks, the development of evidence-based technology, and the delivery of structured training seem key to expedite implementation and encourage the sustained adoption of Digital Mental Health by mental health professionals.


2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (11) ◽  
pp. 401-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Appleby

SummaryMental healthcare for ethnic minorities is a government policy priority. However, debate about how services should develop has been overshadowed by public criticism over high rates of admission and sectioning in some ethnic groups, the implication being that racism is rife in mental healthcare. These criticisms are headline-seeking, scientifically crude and unfair to mental health professionals. However, it is true that some minority communities are mistrustful of the services available. We need to overcome this mistrust with a positive message – and a promise of fair treatment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 413
Author(s):  
Marie-Josée Fleury ◽  
Guy Grenier ◽  
Jean-Marie Bamvita ◽  
Marie-Pierre Markon ◽  
François Chiocchio

Rationale, aims, and objectives: Team effectiveness is associated not only with team design, but also with team dynamics such as work role performance. This study aimed to: (1) identify variables associated with perceived work role performance in a sample of 315 mental health professionals and (2) assess the contributions of team members and team characteristics; organizational and territorial context; team emergent states and team processes.Method: Mental health professionals from 4 health service networks in Quebec, Canada, completed a self-administered questionnaire consisting of standardized scales. Based on a conceptual framework adapted from the Input-Mediator-Output-Input (IMOI) model, independent variables were organized according to: (1) characteristics of team members and their teams, (2) organizational and territorial context, (3) team emergent states and (4) team processes. Their respective contributions to perceived work role performance were tested using a hierarchical regression analysis.Results: Perceived work role performance was associated with younger age (characteristics of team members and their team), familiarity between co-workers (Team emergent states) and belief in interprofessional collaboration, knowledge-sharing, team interdependence and team support (Team processes). Most variation in work role performance was explained by Team emergent states, followed by Team processes.Conclusion: This study tested a large number of variables associated with perceived work role performance in mental healthcare based on a comprehensive and innovative, theory-driven framework. The inclusion of mental health professionals from several types of teams representing mental health networks in different geographical areas added value to the study. The results confirm the need for managers to optimize team emergent states and team processes in order to improve work role performance. Initiatives such as training in teamwork and clinical guidelines are recommended.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 520-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiran Thapa

For two decades, Government of Nepal has made efforts to develop and maintain mental health professionals in all areas; however, much has to be done. This could be an opportunity for Nepal to redesign mental healthcare services at the community level. Primary mental health services integrated with community mental health could help children and families cope with and recover from mental illnesses in the long run.


1976 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 565-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
James K. Morrison ◽  
Jeffrey S. Nevid

In support of the construct validity of the Client Attitude Questionnaire, 16 psychologists and 25 social workers reported attitudes more characteristic of the controversial psychosocial position about “mental illness” than 20 psychiatrists, 23 psychiatric nurses, or 40 previously hospitalized psychiatric outpatients.


Author(s):  
C. Potts ◽  
E. Ennis ◽  
R. B. Bond ◽  
M. D. Mulvenna ◽  
M. F. McTear ◽  
...  

AbstractDigital technologies such as chatbots can be used in the field of mental health. In particular, chatbots can be used to support citizens living in sparsely populated areas who face problems such as poor access to mental health services, lack of 24/7 support, barriers to engagement, lack of age appropriate support and reductions in health budgets. The aim of this study was to establish if user groups can design content for a chatbot to support the mental wellbeing of individuals in rural areas. University students and staff, mental health professionals and mental health service users (N = 78 total) were recruited to workshops across Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland, Finland and Sweden. The findings revealed that participants wanted a positive chatbot that was able to listen, support, inform and build a rapport with users. Gamification could be used within the chatbot to increase user engagement and retention. Content within the chatbot could include validated mental health scales and appropriate response triggers, such as signposting to external resources should the user disclose potentially harmful information or suicidal intent. Overall, the workshop participants identified user needs which can be transformed into chatbot requirements. Responsible design of mental healthcare chatbots should consider what users want or need, but also what chatbot features artificial intelligence can competently facilitate and which features mental health professionals would endorse.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veikko Pelto-Piri ◽  
Lars Kjellin ◽  
Ulrika Hylén ◽  
Emanuele Valenti ◽  
Stefan Priebe

Abstract Objectives The objective of the study was to investigate how mental health professionals describe and reflect upon different forms of informal coercion. Results In a deductive qualitative content analysis of focus group interviews, several examples of persuasion, interpersonal leverage, inducements, and threats were found. Persuasion was sometimes described as being more like a negotiation. Some participants worried about that the use of interpersonal leverage and inducements risked to pass into blackmail in some situations. In a following inductive analysis, three more categories of informal coercion was found: cheating, using a disciplinary style and referring to rules and routines. Participants also described situations of coercion from other stakeholders: relatives and other authorities than psychiatry. The results indicate that informal coercion includes forms that are not obviously arranged in a hierarchy, and that its use is complex with a variety of pathways between different forms before treatment is accepted by the patient or compulsion is imposed.


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