Barriers to the collaborative care of patients with orofacial injury

Collaborative care interventions show significant promise in facilitating integrative care, which addresses the physical and mental health needs of patients with orofacial trauma. Ensuring the successful implementation of collaborative care interventions depends on having an adequate understanding of the potential barriers to the provision and receipt of mental health services within specific clinical settings. This article reviews recent findings on the patients' and providers' perceptions of barriers to psychosocial aftercare services in oral and maxillofacial trauma care settings. These findings indicate that although patients and providers recognize the need for psychosocial aftercare, they report substantial barriers to these services. Structural barriers, such as not knowing where to obtain services and financial cost, are the major obstacles among patients. Among providers, structural barriers also serve as significant impediments to the provision of psychosocial services. Some of the most common structural barriers reported by providers include a shortage of financial resources, trained clinical staff, and space. Although collaborative care interventions may be well suited to capitalize on patients' and providers' interests in psychosocial aftercare programs, further research is needed to determine the viability of this promising aftercare model within oral and maxillofacial trauma care settings.