The Global Mental Health Assessment Tool--Primary Care Version (GMHAT/PC). Development, reliability and validity

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Digital Health
• Primary Care Medicine

Background:

• Mental health assessment in primary care is crucial for early detection and intervention.
• Existing tools may lack comprehensive features or ease of use in diverse settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Global Mental Health Assessment Tool--Primary Care Version (GMHAT/PC) for assessing mental health problems in primary care.
• To determine the tool's ease of administration, diagnostic accuracy, and reliability.

Main Methods:

• The GMHAT/PC was administered to patients in primary care, psychiatric outpatient clinics, and inpatient settings over two months.
• Inter-rater reliability was assessed by comparing GMHAT/PC ratings with psychiatrist and general practitioner assessments.
• Patients also completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) for comparative analysis.

Main Results:

• The GMHAT/PC was easy to administer across all settings, with interviews taking 10-15 minutes for symptomatic patients.
• Inter-rater agreement on mental state symptom groups ranged from 0.49 to 1 (kappa).
• Computer-generated diagnoses showed high correlation with clinical diagnoses, and good agreement was found with HAD ratings.

Conclusions:

• The GMHAT/PC is a practical and efficient computerized tool for standardized mental health assessment in primary care.
• Its ease of use and reliable diagnostic capabilities support its integration into routine primary care practice.