Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many of the existing health issues in people and healthcare problems in general. The framework for mental health care before was not properly developed in countries around the globe. The healthcare provider and society generally focused most on physical health issues, and the stigma around mental health thrived. Now mental problems are common among people (Falconer & Docherty, 2018).
Another challenge in developing an overarching care plan is that, over the years, mental healthcare has shifted from hospitals to community-based solutions. This shift also left some crucial gaps preventing people from obtaining the best healthcare, including poor care coordination, lack of patient awareness, and inadequate resources for care negotiation. Therefore, the proper care coordination plan should provide a framework based on the current assessment of the situation from the side of hospitals, the community, and person-based solutions.
Best Practices for Mental Healthcare
As the shift from hospital care to community-based one has occurred, it is first important to engage the patients in these communities and breach the gap of the lack of information. The first step is assessing the environmental and community factors influencing the patients’ mental health. For example, one of the most contributing factors in mental disorder development is heavy drug use which can be associated with the patient’s surroundings and upbringing.
Therefore, a holistic approach focusing on the mind, body, and emotions for mental health is crucial. In other words, the best practices should prioritize the patients’ seamless integration into the community-based healthcare model. Thus, the nurse should establish essential communication with the patient’s families and friends to set common goals. This communication aims to help the patients achieve these goals and stay motivated to avoid negative outcomes.
This focus on the patient’s environment does not exclude the main principle of mental healthcare coordination, its person-centered nature. More than physical issues, mental disorders are distinct from person to person. Moreover, treating the patient without rebuilding the patient’s self-esteem, healthy coping mechanisms, positive thinking, and right attitude toward the stimuli are impossible (Gandré et al., 2020). Therefore, a personalized approach is indispensable to achieving these outcomes.
Some examples include literacy sessions, self-care seminars, and lectures on avoiding stressful situations and coping mechanisms for such events. It also combats the issues of the lack of information and misinformation among the patients. The lack of such crucial data can prevent them from achieving the needed results and engaging in the community-based healthcare model in the first place. Thus, this approach allows patients to establish the necessary beliefs and core values to improve their mental health by providing essential resources and encouragement.
Moreover, once the patient is integrated into the system, the risk of the patient dropping out without attaining the desired goals remains. Therefore, the work with the patient’s surroundings, including family, friends, and living environment, should continue. Through this communication with the patient’s relatives and personalized therapy, it is easy to assess the factors contributing to the negative effects on their mental health. Such conditions include cultural and social practices and the absence of an optimal living environment. Thus, healthcare coordination should focus on patients’ gain of understanding and coping with these factors through therapy and even providing alternatives to such arrangements.
Overall, the best practices for mental health care coordination include a mix of primary care in the form of personalized therapy and social care in assessing and influencing patients’ surroundings. In other words, according to Falconer & Docherty (2018), “Primary care centers remain strategic partners in the health care system for collaborative care initiatives, especially in managing care coordination for mental health” (p. 2348). On the other hand, according to Gandré et al. (2020), the healthcare model in the mental health field “ should evolve to include social care” (p. 13). Now the integration between the two is limited. Therefore, imagining the high level of involvement of the nurses in the patients’ lives may seem unfamiliar. However, the research across this field appears to conclude the necessity of such change, concluding the best outcome from such a strategy.
Community Resources
Because of mental healthcare’s community-based nature, community resources are crucial for positive patient treatment results. Moreover, effective community resources can encourage patients to continue treatment and provide the necessary resources. The members of such communities can also substitute or enhance the patients’ environment, supporting each other in their journey and combating isolation and loneliness, which contributes a lot to mental issues. In other words, such communities can provide the necessary positive contrast in the patients’ lives to rebuild their self-esteem and form healthy coping mechanisms. In this case, the patient will learn to understand their living conditions in a healthy environment, deciding to change them or cope with them in healthy ways.
As mentioned above, to engage the patient in the community where treatment happens, the caretakers need to fill the lack of knowledge gap. Aside from the positive influences of the community, the patient may lack the financial resources to receive the treatment required. Thus, caretakers and nurses are responsible for informing the patients of such resources. One of examples of such community resources is governmental and NGO wellness programs. It also can be some small local resources that are hard to know for outsiders in the healthcare community. Furthermore, when engaged in these communities, the patients can learn more about other available resources and share advice and information with the members.
Digital Technology in Mental Healthcare
Digital resources can bridge the gap of lacking availability of mental healthcare. Digital resources vary from psychological databases to full-on online consultative services. Falconer & Docherty (2018) concluded, “Our review suggests a knowledge gap regarding newer e-health technologies such as mobile devices and cell phone apps to facilitate coordinated care” (p. 2347). This help mainly consists of obtaining information on mental health issues and the availability of care, as primary care in the form of personalized therapy remains the central treatment. However, Falconer & Docherty (2018) suggest that beyond the patients’ self-care outcomes, the hospitals can adopt technology more to “help patients with medication adherence and chronic disease management” (p. 2348). In other words, the care provider can guide the patients to the resources through technology and integrate it into care coordination further with the specialized health monitoring systems and remainders.
Conclusion
The most comprehensive plan for mental health care consists of primary and social care integration, community effort, and extended use of technology. Research shows that traditional primary care in personalized therapy is important but not enough in recent years. The caretakers also should focus on patients’ surrounding conditions and the environment through social and community work. They can implement technology creatively and extensively to achieve these results.
References
Falconer, E., Kho, D., & Docherty, J. P. (2018). Use of technology for care coordination initiatives for patients with mental health issues: a systematic literature review. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 14, 2337. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S172810
Gandré, C., Beauguitte, L., Lolivier, A., & Coldefy, M. (2020). Care coordination for severe mental health disorders: an analysis of healthcare provider patient-sharing networks and their association with quality of care in a French region. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 1-15.