An evaluation of an Australian initiative designed to improve interdisciplinary collaboration in primary mental health care.
This paper reports on a multi-component evaluation of Australia's Mental Health Professionals Network (MHPN). MHPN aims to improve consumer outcomes by fostering a collaborative clinical approach to primary mental health care. MHPN has promoted interdisciplinary communication and networking through activity in three inter-related areas: interdisciplinary workshops supported by education and training materials; fostering ongoing, self-sustained interdisciplinary clinical networks; and a website, web portal (MHPN Online) and a toll-free telephone information line. The evaluation showed that MHPN's workshops were highly successful; almost 1200 workshops were attended by 11,930 individuals from a range of mental health professions. Participants from 81% of these workshops have gone on to join ongoing, interdisciplinary networks of local providers, and MHPN is now supporting these networks in a range of innovative ways to encourage them to become self-sustaining and to improve collaborative care practices.
Centre for Health Policy, Programs and Economics, Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. Electronic address: justine.fletcher@unimelb.edu.au.
Justine
J
Fletcher
Centre for Health Policy, Programs and Economics, Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. Electronic address: k.king@unimelb.edu.au.
Kylie
K
King
Centre for Health Policy, Programs and Economics, Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. Electronic address: jchristo@unimelb.edu.au.
Jo
J
Christo
Centre for Health Policy, Programs and Economics, Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. Electronic address: amachlin@unimelb.edu.au.
Anna
A
Machlin
Centre for Health Policy, Programs and Economics, Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. Electronic address: b.bassilios@unimelb.edu.au.
Bridget
B
Bassilios
Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. Electronic address: gblashki@unimelb.edu.au.
Grant
G
Blashki
Mental Health Professionals Network, PO Box 203, Flinders Lane, Victoria 8009, Australia. Electronic address: c.gibbs@mhpn.org.au.
Chris
C
Gibbs
Mental Health Professionals Network, PO Box 203, Flinders Lane, Victoria 8009, Australia. Electronic address: angnic12@hotmail.com.
Angela
A
Nicholas
Centre for Health Policy, Programs and Economics, Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. Electronic address: j.pirkis@unimelb.edu.au.
Jane
J
Pirkis
D001315:Australia; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000458:organization & administration; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D060756:Social Networking
Collaborative care; Interdisciplinary network; Mental health; Primary care