[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].
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.
Lasalvia
Antonio
A
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
Gentile
Bruno
B
Ruggeri
Mirella
M
Marcolin
Alessandro
A
Nosè
Flavio
F
Cappellari
Lodovico
L
Lamonaca
Dario
D
Toniolo
Emanuele
E
Busana
Claudio
C
Campedelli
Antonio
A
Cuccato
Giancarlo
G
Danieli
Andrea
A
De Nardi
Fabio
F
De Nardo
Vincenzo
V
Destro
Ernesto
E
Favaretto
Gerardo
G
Frazzingaro
Silvio
S
Giacopuzzi
Mario
M
Pristinger
Paolo
P
Pullia
Giuseppe
G
Rodighiero
Sandro
S
Tito
Paolo
P
Aprile
Francesco
F
Nicolaou
Stylianos
S
Coppola
Giuseppe
G
Garzotto
Nicola
N
Gottardi
Umberto
U
Lazzarin
Ermanna
E
Migliorini
Giuseppe
G
Pavan
Luigi
L
Ramaciotti
Fabrizio
F
Roveroni
Paolo
P
Russo
Salvatore
S
Urbani
Pierpaolo
P
Tansella
Michele
M
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