Integration of General Practitioners and Mental Health Services: The Northern Queensland Integrated Mental Health Program

1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Maureen Alsop ◽  
Kristine Battye
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Practice ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Program ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Mental Health Program ◽  
Integrated Mental Health

The Integrated Mental Health Program is a joint initiative of the Northern Queensland Rural Division of General Practice, Townsville Division of General Practice, and the Townsville District Integrated Mental Health Service (IMHS).The program seeks to empower general practitioners (GPs) to meet current gaps in mental health service delivery in North Queensland, and establish better liaison and integration of services provided by GPs and by hospital and community based mental health professionals. Sixty-three GPs and twenty-four mental health professionals were interviewed across the two divisions to identify barriers encountered in the management of people with mental health problems. The barriers identified fell into three broad categories: those related to referral, to discharge, and to communication. A two-week audit of the IMHS intake and discharge processes provided further data to clarify the difficulties involved in the integrated management of patients with mental health problems. Two-week audits are to be conducted at six monthly intervals throughout the course of the program as a tool for evaluation of the program's effectiveness. General findings from the audit indicate that, although the levelof GP referrals judged by mental health professionals to be inappropriate is low, the lack of information GPs provide when referring may create ambiguity regarding the appropriateness of their referrals, thus creating the perception that they make inappropriate referrals at a higher rate than is in fact the case. Strategies for improving communication between GPs and existing mental health services are being explored, with early initiatives towards a system of shared care being developed.

Piloting Case Conferencing Between GPs and Mental Health Services: Phase II of the Northern Queensland Rural Division of General Practice Mental Health Program

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen Alsop ◽  
Mark F. Harris ◽  
Gawaine Powell-Davies ◽  
Kristine Battye ◽  
Karin Gerhardt
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Practice ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Program ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Mental Health Program ◽  
Clinical Work ◽  
Health Service Providers

Phase two of the Northern Queensland Rural Division of General Practice Mental Health program involved the piloting of case conferencing between General Practitioners (GPs) and mental health professionals in three rural communities. The initial findings suggest that this model supports GPs by increasing their confidence in the management of patients with whom they find it most challenging to work. Mental health professionals indicate that the opportunity to consult with GPs on a regular basis is important to their clinical work, and see the primary focus of these consultations as a means for communicating with GPs. The case conferencing also led to modest improvements in relationships between GPs and mental health service providers.

scholarly journals Morbidity profile of patients attending the centers for mental health service provided jointly by the Government of Nepal and Community mental health service of Community Mental Health and Counseling- Nepal (CMC-Nepal)

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
KD Upadhyaya ◽  
B Nakarmi ◽  
B Prajapati ◽  
M Timilsina
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Program ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Mental Health Program ◽  
Community Mental Health Program ◽  
The Government

Introduction: Community mental health program initially conducted in Lalitpur district by UMN and later in the western region demonstrated the possibility of providing mental health services in the primary health care level if proper mental training is provided to different levels of health workers and the program is well supervised. Community Mental Health and Counseling- Nepal (CMC-Nepal) extended the same model of community mental health program to several other districts of the country after taking permission from the Ministry of Health and Population. The basic objective of the study was to prepare morbidity profile of patients attending the centers for mental health conducted jointly by the government of Nepal and Community Mental Health and Counseling- Nepal (CMC-Nepal). Material and method: Ten days block training in mental health for health assistant (HA) and Auxiliary Health Workers (AHW) was conducted by the CMC-Nepal. Senior psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatric nurse were the trainers. Materials like mental health manual, audiovisuals, flip charts and case stories were used during training by the facilitators. An especially developed patient record card was used for case record, diagnosis and treatment. The study was carried out in between July 2010 to June 2011. A total of 6676 cases were studied during the study period. Results: Community mental health program identified 4761 total new cases in 12 months (July 2010 to June 2011), out of which 2821 were females (59%) and 1940 were males (41%). Similarly total old cases both females and males were 6676 registered in these centers for treatment. Out of all new cases patients with Anxiety Neurosis emerged as the largest group (50%) followed by Depression (24.88%). Other commonly diagnosed conditions were Epilepsy (7.5%), Psychosis (5.3%) and Conversion disorder (5.7%) and unspecified cases (6.5%). The implications of the results are discussed, in the current context. Conclusion: Mental health services need to be provided at the community so as to prevent cases of prolonged subjection to mental illness and also prevent cases of stigma and discrimination. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jpan.v2i1.8569 J Psychiatrists’ Association of Nepal Vol .2, No.1, 2013 14-19

scholarly journals Turnaround in an aged persons' mental health service in crisis: a case study of organisational renewal

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Stafrace ◽  
Alan Lilly
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Program ◽  
Mental Health Program ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Senior Executive ◽  
Executive Managers

This case study demonstrates how leadership was harnessed to turn around a decline in the performance of an aged persons? mental health service ? the Namarra Nursing Home at Caulfield General Medical Centre in Melbourne, Australia. In 2000 the nursing home faced a crisis of public confidence due to failings in the management of quality, clinical risk and human resources within the service. These problems reflected structural and operational shortcomings in the clinical directorate and wider organisation. In this article, we detail the process of turnaround from the perspective of senior executive managers with professional and operational responsibility for the service. This turnaround required attention to local clinical accountability and transformation of the mental health program from a collocated but operationally isolated service to one integrated within the governance structures of the auspicing organisation.

scholarly journals Attitudes towards seclusion and restraint in mental health settings: findings from a large, community-based survey of consumers, carers and mental health professionals

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 535-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Kinner ◽  
C. Harvey ◽  
B. Hamilton ◽  
L. Brophy ◽  
C. Roper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Consumer Safety ◽  
Mental Health Settings

Aims.There are growing calls to reduce, and where possible eliminate, the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health settings, but the attitudes and beliefs of consumers, carers and mental health professionals towards these practices are not well understood. The aim of this study was to compare the attitudes of mental health service consumers, carers and mental health professionals towards seclusion and restraint in mental health settings. In particular, it aimed to explore beliefs regarding whether elimination of seclusion and restraint was desirable and possible.Methods.In 2014, an online survey was developed and widely advertised in Australia via the National Mental Health Commission and through mental health networks. The survey adopted a mixed-methods design, including both quantitative and qualitative questions concerning participants’ demographic details, the use of seclusion and restraint in practice and their views on strategies for reducing and eliminating these practices.Results.In total 1150 survey responses were analysed. A large majority of participants believed that seclusion and restraint practices were likely to cause harm, breach human rights, compromise trust and potentially cause or trigger past trauma. Consumers were more likely than professionals to view these practices as harmful. The vast majority of participants believed that it was both desirable and feasible to eliminate mechanical restraint. Many participants, particularly professionals, believed that seclusion and some forms of restraint were likely to produce some benefits, including increasing consumer safety, increasing the safety of staff and others and setting behavioural boundaries.Conclusions.There was strong agreement across participant groups that the use of seclusion and restraint is harmful, breaches human rights and compromises the therapeutic relationship and trust between mental health service providers and those who experience these restrictive practices. However, some benefits were also identified, particularly by professionals. Participants had mixed views regarding the feasibility and desirability of eliminating these practices.

scholarly journals Features of Mental Health Service Provision During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Specialists Who Work with Suicide Prevention in Rural Areas

Psichologija ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
pp. 23-37
Author(s):  
Austėja Agnietė Čepulienė ◽  
Said Dadašev ◽  
Dovilė Grigienė ◽  
Miglė Marcinkevičiūtė ◽  
Greta Uržaitė ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Mental Health Service Provision

The COVID-19 pandemic can influence the situation of suicide rates and mental health in rural regions even more than in major cities. The aim of the current study was to explore the functioning of mental health service provision during the COVID-19 pandemic through interviews with mental health professionals and other specialists who work with suicide prevention in rural areas. Thirty specialists were interviewed using a semi-structured interview format. The following codes were identified during the thematic analysis: providing help during the pandemic (mental health professionals and institutions adapted to the conditions of the pandemic, remote counselling makes providing help more difficult, the help is less reachable); help-seeking during the pandemic (people seek less help because of the pandemic, seeking remote help is easier, the frequency of help seeking didn’t change); the effects and governing of the pandemic situation (the pandemic can have negative effects on mental health; after the pandemic mental health might get worse; the governing of the pandemic situation in Lithuania could be more fluent). The current study reveals positive aspects of mental health professionals’ adaptivity during the pandemic, as well as severe problems which are related to the access to the mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Potential of Mobile Technology to Relieve the Urgent Mental Health Needs in China: Web-Based Survey (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuxi Tan ◽  
Ziwei Teng ◽  
Yan Qiu ◽  
Hui Tang ◽  
Hui Xiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Mobile Mental Health

BACKGROUND With the rapid development of information technology and mobile devices, an increasing number of mobile medical services and platforms have emerged. However, China’s current mental health situation necessitates further discussion and research on how to provide more patient-centered services in the face of many challenges and opportunities. OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore the attitudes and preferences of mental health service stakeholders regarding mobile mental health services and discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by mobile technology developers in China. METHODS A web-based survey was conducted by following the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES) checklist. A total of 586 valid questionnaires were collected. Respondents included 184 patients or their family members, 225 mental health professionals, and 177 people from the general population. Data analysis was completed using SPSS 24.0. RESULTS Among the various problems perceived regarding the current mental health medical environment, difficulty in finding appropriate psychologists and limited visit times ranked highest. Social media (n=380/586, 64.9%) was the most preferred platform among all participants, whereas professionals showed a higher preference for smartphone apps (n=169/225, 75.1%). Professional instruction, psychological consultation, and mental health education (ranked top 3) were the most commonly identified needs. Mental health professionals generally emphasized more on treatment-related mobile mental health service needs, especially medication reminders (χ<sup>2</sup><sub>2</sub>=70.7; <i>P</i>&lt;.001), symptom monitoring (χ<sup>2</sup><sub>2</sub>=24.0; <i>P</i>&lt;.001), and access to mental health resources (χ<sup>2</sup><sub>2</sub>=38.6; <i>P</i>&lt;.001). However, patients and their family members focused more on convenient web-based prescriptions (χ<sup>2</sup><sub>2</sub>=7.7; <i>P</i>=.02), with the general population interested in web-based psychological consultation (χ<sup>2</sup><sub>2</sub>=23.1; <i>P</i>&lt;.001) and mental health knowledge (χ<sup>2</sup><sub>2</sub>=9.1; <i>P</i>=.01). Almost half of the participants regarded mobile mental health services as highly acceptable or supported their use, but less than 30% of participants thought mobile mental health services might be very helpful. Concerns about mobile mental health mainly focused on information security. Service receivers also suspected the quality and professionalism of content, and mental health professionals were worried about time and energy consumption as well as medical safety. CONCLUSIONS In terms of service flow, mobile services could be used to expand service time and improve efficiency before and after diagnosis. More individualized mobile mental health service content in more acceptable forms should be developed to meet the various needs of different mental health stakeholders. Multidisciplinary training and communication could be incorporated to facilitate the integration and cooperation of more well-rounded service teams. A standard medical record system and data format would better promote the development of future intelligent medical care. Issues such as ensuring service quality, solving safety risks, and better integrating mobile services with regular medical workflows also need to be addressed.

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