Using new and innovative technologies to assess clinical stage in early intervention youth mental health services: Evaluation study

Background: Globally there is increasing recognition that new strategies are required to reduce disability due to common mental health problems. As 75% of mental health and substance use disorders emerge during the teenage or early adulthood years, these strategies need to be readily accessible to young people. When considering how to provide such services at scale, new and innovative technologies show promise in augmenting traditional clinic-based services. Objective: The aim of this study was to test new and innovative technologies to assess clinical stage in early intervention youth mental health services using a prototypic online system known as the Mental Health eClinic (MHeC). Methods: The online assessment within the MHeC was compared directly against traditional clinician assessment within 2 Sydney-based youth-specific mental health services (headspace Camperdown and headspace Campbelltown). A total of 204 young people were recruited to the study. Eligible participants completed both face-to-face and online assessments, which were randomly allocated and counterbalanced at a 1-to-3 ratio. These assessments were (1) a traditional 45- to 60-minute headspace face-to-face assessment performed by a Youth Access Clinician and (2) an approximate 60-minute online assessment (including a self-report Web-based survey, immediate dashboard of results, and a video visit with a clinician). All assessments were completed within a 2-week timeframe from initial presentation. Results: Of the 72 participants who completed the study, 71% (51/72) were female and the mean age was 20.4 years (aged 16 to 25 years); 68% (49/72) of participants were recruited from headspace Camperdown and the remaining 32% (23/72) from headspace Campbelltown. Interrater agreement of participants’ stage, as determined after face-to-face assessment or online assessment, demonstrated fair agreement (kappa=.39, P\u3c.001) with concordance in 68% of cases (49/72). Among the discordant cases, those who were allocated to a higher stage by online raters were more likely to report a past history of mental health disorders (P=.001), previous suicide planning (P=.002), and current cannabis misuse (P=.03) compared to those allocated to a lower stage. Conclusions: The MHeC presents a new and innovative method for determining key clinical service parameters. It has the potential to be adapted to varied settings in which young people are connected with traditional clinical services and assist in providing the right care at the right tim

New legal forms in health services: Evaluation of a Spanish public policy

The Spanish National Health System, structured by the General Health Law of 1986 and tax-funded, provides services to the insured population and their beneficiaries, and operates mainly within the public sector with coordination of health care provision assumed at the regional level and regulation and strategic planning hold by the Ministry of Health..

Users’ perspective inclusion in mental health services evaluation

Progresivamente ha ganado reconocimiento la importancia de incluir a los usuarios y su perspectiva en la evaluación de servicios de salud, y específicamente de salud mental. El presente trabajo desarrolla algunas ideas referidas al lugar de éstos en el proceso de mejoramiento de los servicios provistos -desde su inclusión en calidad de consumidores hasta su lugar de ciudadanos en pleno ejercicio de derechos-, el modo en que perciben a los servicios de salud mental y la atención que allí reciben, así como algunas discusiones acerca de las posibilidades y dificultades para considerar dicha perspectiva.It has been progressively recognized the importance of including users and their perspective in the evaluation of health and mental health services. This paper develops some ideas related to the involvement of users in the service improvement process -from their participation as consumers up to their citizens’ place in full exercise of rights-; and the way in which they perceive received services and attention, as well as some discussions about the possibilities and difficulties for taking into account that perspective.Fil: Ardila Gómez, Sara Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Lanús. Departamento de Salud Comunitaria; Argentin

The level of satisfaction of primary health services evaluation about Syrian women refugees who took refuge in the town Bucak

This study, women who took refuge in the Syrian town of Bucak in order to investigate satisfaction to basic health services by women and 43 is performed. The participants ' socioeconomic status, number of children and birth hospital were assessed with the questionnaire created by the researchers to assess the service questions. The number of data in statistical analysis percentage and Chi square test was used. The average age of women who participated in the research 43 30.19 ± 3.12 were found. 34 women (74.4 %) hospital conditions described as good. 22 women in terms of the provision of health services (52.2 %) stated he didn't see a difference between Syria and Turkey. The supply of the drug in 30 women (69.8 %) expressed in the form of comfortable, I can assure you. The average number of children was 2.7 (max:7) as were found. In our country the number of the mother who gave birth 38 (88.4 %). Women 26 (60.4 %) are not using any family planning method. Their children have not been immunised mother, who had number 5 (11.6 %). Women 97% of the country has stated that he wants to return to. The study found that refugees are lacking in receiving basic health services. Refugees' family planning, vaccination implementation deficiencies need to be addressed. It is thought that the attitudes of mothers who have not vaccinated in order to prevent infectious diseases should be changed

Single-Session Counselling in Mental Health Services: Evaluation of a New Program

Organizations offering mental health services are in need of innovative solutions to address a lack of accessibility and availability in service provision. Waitlists for counselling services are long, often forcing those experiencing mental health difficulties to rely on acute care services in the interim. One option, single-session counselling, allows consumers to access services when they need it, as often as they need it. This service model can be integrated into current services to contend with difficulties related to efficiency and accessibility. The current study evaluated a new single-session counselling program offered in an outpatient community mental health clinic in Northwestern Ontario. The majority of participants rated the service favourably, and experienced a decrease in mental health difficulties and associated impairment. Single-session counselling reduced difficulties associated with the presenting problem, and allowed access to services sooner. Continued implementation of this model of care is supported by the current findings. Dissemination of information describing the nature of single-session counselling, as well as outcomes of program evaluations such as the current study, may help to increase acceptance of its integration into ongoing mental health services

Piloting staff education in Australia to reduce falls in older hospital patients experiencing delirium

This study piloted a hospital-based delirium and falls education program to investigate the impacts on staff knowledge and practice plus patient falls. On a medical ward, staff knowledge was compared before and after education sessions. Other data – collected a day before and after program implementation – addressed documentation of patients' delirium and evidence of compliance with falls risk minimization protocols. These data, and numbers of patient falls, were compared before and after program implementation. Almost all ward staff members participated in education sessions (7 doctors, 7 allied health practitioners, and 45 nurses) and knowledge was significantly improved in the 22 who completed surveys both before and after session attendance. Patients assessed as having delirium (5 before implementation, 4 afterwards) were all documented as either confused or delirious. Small changes eventuated in adherence with falls risk management protocols for confused patients and the number of falls decreased. The program merits a stronger emphasis on staff activities relating to the detection, documentation, and management of delirium to inter-professional roles and communication. Evidence of practice enhancement from program implementation should precede rigorous testing of impacts upon falls

The rationale of e-health evaluation: The case of NHS Direct

An important area of research is that of the evaluation of e-health services. A holistic e-health evaluation framework should address the aspects that are hampering healthcare services from embracing the full potential of information and communication technologies towards successful e-health initiatives. Towards building a holistic evaluation framework for e-health services, this paper is intended to examine the rationale of e-health evaluation, as the paper argues that this aspect should be addressed first in the development of such a framework. NHS Direct which is one of the largest e-health services in the world has been chosen to discuss and validate a set of evaluation rationales and their applicability in practice

The Ten Essential Shared Capabilities: a framework for mental health practice

The 10 Essential Shared Capabilities (ESC) are a description of the core aspects of practice that support effective implementation and delivery of mental health care. The ESC have been derived directly from work with users, carers and mental health personnel. To support their introduction a learning pack was developed giving examples of the 10 ESC as they relate to current practice. A pilot programme across England was developed to test the acceptability and potential utility of these materials and this paper reports on the evaluation of that pilot programme. Facilitators (n=75) and learners (n=579) were asked to rate each of the seven modules contained in the learning pack. A number of recommendations have been made to improve the materials that are being acted upon