In countries of the former Soviet Union persons affected by mental disorders tend to avoid the psychiatric system because of the stigma attached to it and traditional primary care services aren’t adequately prepared to manage mental disorders effectively. The traditional model of care, rigidly hierarchical and physician-centered, hampers effective case management. Temple University received a partnership grant from the American International Health Alliance to assist in the development of community-based primary healthcare in Kyiv, Ukraine. One of the goals of the Kyiv-Philadelphia Community-Based Primary Health Care Partnership is to develop a collaborative model of care that would integrate mental health services into a multidisciplinary primary care team. A Family Practice Center opened in Kyiv, Ukraine in October 2000 and is offering mental health services based on a collaborative approach. The current paper presents an evaluation of the results of multidisciplinary team building through a triangulated approach that involved a survey of mental health referral patterns and interviews with primary care professionals regarding the quality of collaboration between medical and mental health providers. The results are presented in the context of the Health Belief Model and suggestions for improving team functioning are offered. Preliminary results suggest that, although there is a considerable interest for adopting the collaborative model of care, the traditional approach to physician-driven healthcare delivery is difficult to overcome and more training is needed in areas such as interdisciplinary communication and team-based decision-making. See www.aiha.com
Learning Objectives: By the end of this presentation, the audience will be able to: 1. discuss perceived benefits and barriers to the implementation of mental health services into primary care at the Family Practice Center in Kyiv, Ukraine and 2. identify solutions to improve collaboration between mental health and medical providers in primary care.
Keywords: Mental Health Services, Primary Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: American International Health Alliance
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.