Characterizing mental healthcare service teams

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Healthcare Management
• Public Health

Background:

• Understanding the professional composition of psychiatric services is crucial for effective mental healthcare delivery.
• Ribeirão Preto's psychiatric service landscape requires detailed profiling to identify strengths and areas for improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the professional profiles within psychiatric service categories in Ribeirão Preto.
• To analyze the composition and characteristics of healthcare teams in psychiatric facilities.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory study was conducted involving 8 psychiatric services (3 hospitals, 5 extra-hospital facilities).
• Data collection utilized questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals.
• A significant participation rate of 74% of professionals from the investigated services was achieved.

Main Results:

• Doctors and nurses were predominant in hospital settings, while multidisciplinary teams were more common in extra-hospital facilities.
• The majority of professionals (73%) were female, with ages ranging from 24 to 68.
• While most professionals had further education, only 48.5% had specialized in mental health. A majority (83%) earned over R$ 1,000 monthly.

Conclusions:

• Psychiatric teams are predominantly composed of doctors and nurses, though the importance of other professionals is acknowledged.
• Challenges in service provision hinder psychiatric reform, with no country having fully overcome these barriers.
• The investigated service network demonstrated the minimum prerequisites for offering community psychiatric care.