title: [Heterogeneity of the Departments of Mental Health in the Veneto Region ten years after the National Plan 1994-96 for Mental Health. Which implication for clinical practice? Findings from the PICOS Project].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to present data on structural and human resources of public mental health services located in the Veneto Region, Italy, and to discuss them in the light of implementation of the first National Target Plan for Mental Health ("Progetto Obiettivo 1994-1996") ten years after its launch.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in the context of the PICOS (Psychosis Incident Cohort Outcome Study) Project, a large first-presentation multisite study on patients with psychotic disorders attending community mental heath services in the Veneto Region. Human and structural resources were surveyed in 26 study sites using a structured interview administered by the PICOS local referents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CMHCs and Day Centres were homogeneously distributed across the Region and their overall rates per resident population met the national standards; a wide variability in the distribution of Day Hospitals was found, with the overall rate per resident population very far from meeting the national standard; the overall rate for Residential Facilities beds was higher than the recommended national standard, showing however an high variability across sites. The overall rate of mental health professionals per resident population was only slightly below the national standard: this was mainly achieved thanks to non-profit organizations which supplement the public system with unspecialised professionals; however, a wide variability in the local rates per resident population was found, with the 50% of the sites showing rates far lower the national standard. Specific lack of trained professionals involved in the provision of psychosocial interventions was found in most sites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A marked variability in human and structural resources across community mental health services in the Veneto Region was found. Possible reasons for this heterogeneity were analysed and implications for mental health care provision were further discussed.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina e Sanità Pubblica, Sezione di Psichiatria e Psicologia Clinica, Università di Verona, Policlinico G.B. Rossi, P.le L.A. Scuro 10, 37134 Verona, Italy. antonio.lasalvia@medicina.univr.it
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lasalvia
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gentile
authors.forename: Mirella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marcolin
authors.forename: Flavio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nosè
authors.forename: Lodovico
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cappellari
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lamonaca
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Toniolo
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Busana
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Campedelli
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cuccato
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Danieli
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Nardi
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Nardo
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Destro
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Favaretto
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frazzingaro
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giacopuzzi
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pristinger
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pullia
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rodighiero
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tito
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aprile
authors.forename: Stylianos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nicolaou
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coppola
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Garzotto
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gottardi
authors.forename: Ermanna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lazzarin
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Migliorini
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pavan
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ramaciotti
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roveroni
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Pierpaolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Urbani
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tansella
mesh_terms: D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D003631:Day Care, Medical / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006291:Health Policy; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D009313:National Health Programs; D011365:Professional Practice Location / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011635:Public Health Administration; D017062:Small-Area Analysis