title: Indian Psychiatric Society multicentric study on assessment of health-care needs of patients with severe mental illnesses as perceived by their family caregivers and health-care providers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the health-care needs of the patients with severe mental disorders as perceived by their family caregivers and the treating psychiatrists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Caregivers of patients with severe mental disorders and their treating psychiatrists were assessed using Camberwell Assessment of Need-Research Version (CAN-R) scale and indigenously designed Supplementary Assessment of Needs Scale (SNAS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 1494 patients recruited from 15 centers. The mean needs as per the CAN-R, perceived by the caregivers were 7.8 and treating psychiatrists were 8.1. About one-third of needs were unmet. On SNAS, both caregivers and treating psychiatrists reported a mean of 7.9 needs, of which more than half were unmet as per the caregivers. As per the treating psychiatrists, 45.5% of the needs as assessed on SNAS were unmet. There was a high level of correlation between needs perceived by the patients, caregivers and the treating psychiatrists. On CAN-R, main domains of needs as reported by the caregivers were those of money, relief of psychological distress, information about the illness and treatment, welfare benefits, transport, company and food. As per the treating psychiatrists, the most common total needs identified were those of relief of psychological distress, welfare benefits, information about the illness and treatment, money, transport, company self-care and physical health. The most common domains of needs as assessed on SNAS as per the caregivers were those of free treatment, medical reimbursement, psychoeducation, financial help, social support, insurance, more time from the clinicians and travel concession. The treating psychiatrists identified dealing with caregiver's stress as the most common need.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the family caregivers and treating psychiatrists, about one-third of the needs of the patients as assessed using CAN-R and about half of the needs as assessed using SNAS are unmet.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grover
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Ajit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Avasthi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SBKS MI and RC, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth, Pipaira, Vadodara, Gujarat, India.
authors.forename: Sandip
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, B. J. Medical College and Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
authors.forename: Bhavesh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lakdawala
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and J.N.M. Hospital, Kalyani, India.
authors.forename: Kaustav
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: Naresh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nebhinani
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Pushpagiri Institute of Medical Sciences, Tiruvalla, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Roy A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kallivayalil
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, KGMU, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Pranob K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Dalal
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, S. N. Medical College, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Vishal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, India.
authors.forename: Praveen
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Khairkar
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, R. G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Divya G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Mukerjee
authors.affiliation: Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF), Chennai, India.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thara
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences, Wardha, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Prakash
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Behere
authors.affiliation: Mental Hospital, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Nidhi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thirunavukarasu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Fortis Hospital, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Sameer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Malhotra
keywords: Caregivers; needs; outcome; psychiatrists; severe mental disorders