Dissemination and implementation of evidence based, mental health interventions in post conflict, low resource settings.
The burden of mental health problems in (post)conflict low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) is substantial. Despite growing evidence for the effectiveness of selected mental health programs in conflict-affected LMIC and growing policy support, actual uptake and implementation have been slow. A key direction for future research, and a new frontier within science and practice, is Dissemination and Implementation (DI) which directly addresses the movement of evidence-based, effective health care approaches from experimental settings into routine use. This paper outlines some key implementation challenges, and strategies to address these, while implementing evidence-based treatments in conflict-affected LMIC based on the authors' collective experiences. Dissemination and implementation evaluation and research in conflict settings is an essential new research direction. Future DI work in LMIC should include: 1) defining concepts and developing measurement tools, 2) the measurement of DI outcomes for all programming, and 3) the systematic evaluation of specific implementation strategies.
Associate Scientist, Clinical Psychologist, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; Dept of Mental Health, Applied Mental Health Research Group (AMHR).
Laura K
LK
Murray
Dr. Ali and Rose Kawi Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; Dept of Mental Health.
Wietse
W
Tol
HealthNet TPO; Research and Development Department, Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry.
Mark
M
Jordans
Heartland Alliance International.
Goran Sabir
GS
Zangana
Wchan Organization for Victims of Human Rights Violations.
Ahmed Mohammed
AM
Amin
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; Dept of International Health.
Paul
P
Bolton
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; Dept of Mental Health.
Judith
J
Bass
Instituto CISALVA, Universidad del Valle.
Fransisco Javier
FJ
Bonilla-Escobar
Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London.
Graham
G
Thornicroft