Perceived challenges and opportunities arising from integration of mental health into primary care: a cross-sectional survey of primary health care workers in south-west Ethiopia

BMC Health Services Research

Charlotte Hanlon³  Tefera Belachew¹  Markos Tesfaye²  Mubarek Abera² 

[1] Population and Family Health Department, College of Public Health and Medical Sciences, Jimma University, PO Box 1104 Jimma, Ethiopia;Department of Psychiatry, College of Public Health and Medical Sciences, Jimma University, PO Box 378, Jimma, Ethiopia;King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Health Services and Population Research Department, London, UK

关键词: Low-income country;    Sub-Saharan Africa;    Scale-up;    Task shifting;    Primary health care;    Mental health care;    Mental disorders;    Mental health;   

Others  :  1133462
DOI  :  10.1186/1472-6963-14-113

 received in 2013-06-22, accepted in 2014-02-27,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

The WHO’s mental health Gap Action Programme seeks to narrow the treatment gap for mental disorders by advocating integration of mental health into primary health care (PHC). This study aimed to assess the challenges and opportunities of this approach from the perspective of PHC workers in a sub-Saharan African country.

Methods

A facility-based cross-sectional survey of 151 PHC workers was conducted from 1^st to 30^th November 2011 in Jimma zone, south-west Ethiopia. A structured questionnaire was used to ask about past training and mental health experience, knowledge and attitudes towards mental disorders and provision of mental health care in PHC. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 12 heads of health facilities for more in-depth understanding.

Results

Almost all PHC workers (96.0%) reported that mental health care was important in Ethiopia and the majority (66.9%) expressed interest in actually delivering mental health care. Higher levels of general health training (degree vs. diploma) and pre-service clinical exposure to mental health care were associated with more favourable attitudes. Knowledge about mental disorder diagnoses, symptoms and treatments was low. Almost half (45.0%) of PHC workers reported that supernatural factors were important causes of mental disorders. Health system and structural issues, such as poor medication supply, lack of rooms, time constraints, absence of specialist supervision and lack of treatment guidelines, were identified as challenges. Almost all PHC workers (96.7%) reported a need for more training, including a clinical attachment, in order to be able to deliver mental health care competently.

Conclusions

Despite acceptability to PHC workers, the feasibility of integrating mental health into PHC in this sub-Saharan African setting is limited by important gaps in PHC worker knowledge and expectations regarding mental health care, coupled with health system constraints. In addition to clinically-based refresher mental health training, expansion of the specialist mental health workforce may be needed to support integration in practice.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Abera et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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