scholarly journals Can a brief training intervention help improve mental health service delivery in South Africa?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances B. Slaven ◽  
Yvonne Erasmus ◽  
Margot Uys ◽  
Pierre-Emile Bruand ◽  
Beki Magazi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Secondary Level ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Training Intervention ◽  
Mental Health Service Delivery ◽  
Brief Training

Background: South Africa faces a number of significant challenges apropos mental health service delivery, including a large treatment gap, a high rate of readmission, over-burdened specialist tertiary facilities, and slow integration of mental health into general health services. The South African National Mental Health Education Programme implemented between February 2019 and December 2019, aimed to upskill health workers to diagnose and manage mental disorders at primary and secondary levels of care.Aim: This study aimed to assess the evolution of training participants’ self-reported competency in mental health care and the number of referrals made to higher levels of care as well as to reflect on the possible broader effects of the training.Setting: The programme and study were conducted in South Africa with Medical Officers and Professional Nurses working at public sector primary and secondary level health care facilities.Methods: A descriptive observational study collected data from training participants through a pre- and post-course, and 3-month follow-up survey.Results: The average confidence ratings for performing mental health care activities and managing mental health conditions increased from pre- to post-course, and was either maintained or increased further at 3-month follow-up. A decrease in the self-reported percentage of patients being referred to a higher level of care was observed 3-months after the training.Conclusion: The evaluation suggests that a brief training intervention such this can go a long way in increasing the confidence of primary and secondary level health care workers in managing common mental health conditions and adhering to the provisions of legislation.

Examining Models of Mental Health Service Delivery in the Emergency Department

2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 784-791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Wand ◽  
Kathryn White
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Mental Health Service Delivery

The purpose of the present paper was to review the current models of mental health service delivery used in the emergency department (ED) setting. A search was conducted of the nursing and medical literature from 1990 to 2007 for relevant articles and reports. Consideration was also given to the global and local context influencing contemporary mental health services. Wider sociopolitical and socioeconomic influences and systemic changes in health-care delivery have dictated a considerable shift in attention for mental health services worldwide. The ED is a topical location that has attracted interest and necessitated a response. The mental health liaison nurse (MHLN) role embedded within the ED structure has demonstrated the most positive outcomes to date. This model aims to raise mental health awareness and address concerns over patient-focused outcomes such as reduced waiting times, therapeutic intervention and more efficient coordination of care and follow up for individuals presenting to the ED in psychological distress. Further research is required into all methods of mental health service delivery to the ED. The MHLN role is a cost-effective approach that has gained widespread approval from ED staff and mental health patients and is consistent with national and international expectations for mental health services to become fully integrated within general health care. The mental health nurse practitioner role situated within the ED represents a potentially promising alternative for enhanced public access to specialized mental health care.

scholarly journals Flip the Clinic: A Digital Health Approach to Youth Mental Health Service Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracey A Davenport ◽  
Vanessa Wan Sze Cheng ◽  
Frank Iorfino ◽  
Blake Hamilton ◽  
Eva Castaldi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Model Of Care ◽  
Mental Health Service Delivery

UNSTRUCTURED The demand for mental health services is projected to rapidly increase as a direct and indirect result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that young people are disproportionately disadvantaged by mental illness and will face further challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to deliver appropriate mental health care to young people as early as possible. Integrating digital health solutions into mental health service delivery pathways has the potential to greatly increase efficiencies, enabling the provision of “right care, first time.” We propose an innovative digital health solution for demand management intended for use by primary youth mental health services, comprised of (1) a youth mental health model of care (ie, the Brain and Mind Centre Youth Model) and (2) a health information technology specifically designed to deliver this model of care (eg, the InnoWell Platform). We also propose an operational protocol of how this solution could be applied to primary youth mental health service delivery processes. By “flipping” the conventional service delivery models of majority in-clinic and minority web-delivered care to a model where web-delivered care is the default, this digital health solution offers a scalable way of delivering quality youth mental health care both in response to public health crises (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) and on an ongoing basis in the future.

Evaluation of the acceptability and clinical utility of an Arabic-language mindfulness CD in an Australian community setting

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 552-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilse Blignault ◽  
Hend Saab ◽  
Lisa Woodland ◽  
Elizabeth Comino
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Culturally Appropriate ◽  
Mental Health Service Delivery ◽  
Mindfulness Skills ◽  
Arabic Speaking

The cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity of Australia's population presents challenges for mental health service delivery. Arabic-speaking communities in Australia underutilise mental health services despite high levels of trauma and psychological distress. Clinicians who work with this population lack linguistically and culturally appropriate clinical resources. The aim of this study was to explore the acceptability and clinical utility of a Mindfulness Skills CD translated into formal Arabic. The 70 participants were Arabic-speaking adults, mostly Lebanese-born Muslim women, who enrolled in a 5-week mindfulness program using the CD and agreed to follow-up at 12 weeks. Both recruitment and data collection were undertaken by a female project officer who is a widely respected member of the Arabic community in south-east Sydney. Compliance with the program protocol was high and all but 4 participants continued to use the CD beyond the 5 weeks. Overall, participants reported that mindfulness techniques fitted well with their way of life and were compatible with their cultural and religious practices. Most found mindfulness complementary to their regular reflective prayer. Using the Mindfulness Skills CD was associated with statistically significant reductions in psychological distress as measured by the Kessler Scale (K10) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS21) postprogram (K10; DASS21 Depression and Stress subscales) and at follow-up (all measures). The evaluation showed that the Arabic Mindfulness Skills CD is an effective and culturally appropriate mental health resource for this population group. This low-cost, easily distributed resource is suitable for use in individual self-management and as an adjunct to primary and specialist mental health care.

Understanding Mental Health System Governance in India: Perspectives of Key Stakeholders

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shalini Ahuja ◽  
Rahul Shidhaye ◽  
Azaz Khan ◽  
Tessa Roberts ◽  
Mark Jordans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
System Component ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Health Care Planning ◽  
Mental Health Service Delivery ◽  
Integrated Mental Health

Introduction: Governance, the least studied health system component, comprises a system of rules and processes, and is a key determinant for effective decision making for health care planning. This study aims to identify institutional, legal and policy factors which are either barriers or facilitators for the implementation of integrated mental health in primary care in the India. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 key informants at the district and national levels with policy makers, state level health care planners and district planners and managers in India. The data were analysed using thematic analysis using the qualitative software NViVO 10. Findings: Participants stated that a conducive environment for mental health service delivery is necessary at the legislative, policy and planning levels, to facilitate integration of mental health into primary care. Amongst other factors, the need for active involvement of civil society and service user organisations, strengthening mental health information systems, and building the non-technical skills of the mental health workforce, were identified as particularly necessary to deliver adequate mental health services.Conclusion: Amidst the favourable policy context supporting collaborative and integrated care in India, this study identified low resourcing, weak collaborations and inadequate information to be crucial for integrated mental health in India at present.

Detection and Treatment of Mental Disorders in General Health Care

1997 ◽  
Vol 12 (S2) ◽  
pp. 70s-78s ◽  
Author(s):  
FJ Huyse ◽  
T Herzog ◽  
A Lobo ◽  
JS Lyons ◽  
JPJ Slaets ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
General Health ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Health Care Sector ◽  
Mental Health Service Delivery ◽  
Co Morbidity

SummaryMental health service delivery in the general health care sector is restricted with regard to understanding the magnitude and impact of mental illness in the medically ill (co-morbidity), as well as the significance of current mental health service delivery. A new model in development in the framework of a Biomed2 grant is presented. It consists of case-finding through complexity of hospital care prediction (COMPRI) followed by an integral health service needs assessment (INTERMED). It might serve to develop a more structural relation with the general health care sector for the management of mentally co-morbid high utilizing patients.

scholarly journals Experience of Trained Primary Health Care Workers in Mental Health Service Delivery across Ogun State Nigeria

2017 ◽  
Vol 03 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adebowale Timothy ◽  
Onofa lucky Umukoro ◽  
Ighoroje Maroh ◽  
Richard Gater ◽  
Ogunwale Adegboyega ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Mental Health Service Delivery ◽  
Ogun State ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Care Workers

scholarly journals A longitudinal population-based study of carers of people with psychosis

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. W. C. Poon ◽  
C. Harvey ◽  
A. Mackinnon ◽  
L. Joubert
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Mental Health Service Delivery ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Over Time

Aims.Few studies have examined the experiences of carers of people with psychosis using a representative sample. Aiming to obtain generalisable results concerning carers in the context of increased emphasis on involving carers in Australian mental health service delivery and policy frameworks, this study recruited carers within the second Australian national survey of psychotic disorders (Survey of High Impact Psychosis, SHIP). Given that most SHIP participants had long-term illness and extended relationships with carers, the health and wellbeing of carers as a group were expected to be relatively stable. However, since it is unknown whether carers’ health and wellbeing would change, our main aim was to explore change and stability in carers’ health and wellbeing and the relationship between any changes experienced by individual carers and corresponding SHIP participants’ functioning over time.Methods.Ninety-eight caregivers of SHIP participants were recruited at baseline and completed validated instruments assessing their health and wellbeing. Seventy-eight carers were re-interviewed at 1-year follow-up. Clinical factors were extracted from the SHIP database. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test and t-test were used to analyse changes in variables over time. Cross-lagged analyses were conducted to identify possible causative relationships in changes in SHIP participant and carer variables.Results.A substantial percentage of carers experienced social isolation (28.6%), psychological distress (37.7%) and poorer quality of life than population norms. There were no statistically significant changes between baseline and follow-up scores for almost all carers’ health and wellbeing variables, other than a poorer perception of their quality of life in relation to their physical health after 1 year. Cross-lagged analyses suggested that poorer functioning of people with psychosis influenced carers’ social isolation, grief and psychological distress.Conclusions.Findings show that carers’ perception of their health and wellbeing did not improve within current mental health service delivery frameworks over time. Carer's persistently poor health and wellbeing suggests a pressing need to enhance services that improve carers’ health and wellbeing especially their physical health and the functioning of people with psychosis whom they support.

scholarly journals Flip the Clinic: A Digital Health Approach to Youth Mental Health Service Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

10.2196/24578 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. e24578
Author(s):  
Tracey A Davenport ◽  
Vanessa Wan Sze Cheng ◽  
Frank Iorfino ◽  
Blake Hamilton ◽  
Eva Castaldi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Model Of Care ◽  
Mental Health Service Delivery

The demand for mental health services is projected to rapidly increase as a direct and indirect result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that young people are disproportionately disadvantaged by mental illness and will face further challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to deliver appropriate mental health care to young people as early as possible. Integrating digital health solutions into mental health service delivery pathways has the potential to greatly increase efficiencies, enabling the provision of “right care, first time.” We propose an innovative digital health solution for demand management intended for use by primary youth mental health services, comprised of (1) a youth mental health model of care (ie, the Brain and Mind Centre Youth Model) and (2) a health information technology specifically designed to deliver this model of care (eg, the InnoWell Platform). We also propose an operational protocol of how this solution could be applied to primary youth mental health service delivery processes. By “flipping” the conventional service delivery models of majority in-clinic and minority web-delivered care to a model where web-delivered care is the default, this digital health solution offers a scalable way of delivering quality youth mental health care both in response to public health crises (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) and on an ongoing basis in the future.

scholarly journals COVID-19, psychosocial issues, politics, and public mental health care

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-303
Author(s):  
Anthony L Pillay ◽  
Anne L Kramers-Olen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Mental Health Policy ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Public Mental Health Care

The COVID-19 pandemic heralded challenges that were both significant and unfamiliar, placing inordinate burdens on health care systems, economies, and the collective psyche of citizens. The pandemic underscored the tenuous intersections between public mental health care, politics, economics, and psychosocial capital. In South Africa, the inadequacies of the public health system have been laid bare, and the disproportionate privileges of the private health care system exposed. This article critically considers government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, the psychosocial correlates of lockdown, politics, corruption, and public mental health policy in South Africa.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document