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Program structure and continuity of mental health care
Janet Durbin1, Paula Goering, David L Streiner
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Janet_Durbin@Camh.net
Summary
Mental health care continuity is crucial but hard to measure. Programs offering night/weekend hours improved continuity, while community-based care unexpectedly lowered it.
Area of Science:
- Mental Health Services Research
- Healthcare Management
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Continuity of care is a key objective in mental health services, yet it remains under-researched due to measurement difficulties.
- Existing research on program features influencing continuity primarily relies on service utilization data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between specific program features and mental health care continuity.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a new self-report measure for assessing continuity.
Main Methods:
- Nine program features were assessed using a new self-report continuity measure.
- Linear regression analyses were employed to examine associations between program features and continuity, controlling for client characteristics.
Main Results:
- Higher client continuity was observed in programs offering night or weekend coverage.
- Programs providing more community-based care showed lower continuity, an unexpected finding potentially linked to service access challenges.
- No significant association was found between continuity and the other seven measured program features.
Conclusions:
- Programmatic factors like extended hours can positively impact mental health care continuity.
- The relationship between community-based care and continuity requires further investigation to understand its implications.
- The study highlights the complexity of measuring and enhancing continuity in mental health services.