Improving the Outcomes of Mental Health Screening

Improving the Outcomes of Mental Health Screening

introduction

There is an overwhelming evidence revealing that a considerable number of patients are suffering from mental health disorders without the self-awareness of their condition. Delayed screening and treatment of mental health disorders either leads to delayed recovery, permanent symptoms, or sometimes death. In the last decade, these impairments proved to occur because of the shortage of screening programs in which the treatment is delayed, and symptoms worsen. When a significant number of health professionals (doctors, pharmacists, nurses, dietitians, or radiologists) are included in the treatment of a client with mental or behavioral issues, it becomes a challenge to ascertain recovery unless the entire care system is intended to support a complete and timely information by all healthcare providers (VanderKooi, Conrad, & Spoelstra, 2018). The treatment of mental disorders is a concern in many healthcare organizations, whether financed by the government or privately commissioned. This project looks at the AHRQ and the IOM report (“To Err Is Human” and “Crossing the Quality Chasm”) to develop a case report using quality and safety concepts of improving the outcomes of mental health screening. It describes and provides an understanding of mental health problems and proposes intervention measures as well as solutions to remedy gaps, inefficiencies, or other issues from a theoretical approach Improving the Outcomes of Mental Health Screening.

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Prescribing medication without the right assessment of the patient’s condition or administering numerous drugs without evaluating the possible adverse effects on the patient can cause harm to the patient. Apart from that, patients are also subjected to the risk of technology misuse, delayed treatment, and poor communication between multiple departments of health care. Safety in medical care is a vast subject integrating technology such as informatics, CT scanning, radiography, ultrasound, x-ray, and dialysis equipment. Significant indicators of patient safety do not point to financial resources but involve the competency of the clinician to facilitate safety practices (Brownson et al., 2017). The safety of patients can be enhanced if nurses engage patients and caregivers in the treatment plan, communicating effectively, monitoring procedures, and learning from previous errors (Will, Johnson, & Lamb, 2019). Reporting and analyzing errors are beneficial in identifying major causal factors. When the causal factors are understood, healthcare providers can think about changes and help the medical team in initiating effective measures to prevent the occurrence of errors. This essay reports how nurses facilitate the quality of mental healthcare through quality screening strategies and collaborative interventions Improving the Outcomes of Mental Health Screening.

Problem Statement

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI, 2019), more than 21% of youths aged between 13-20 years are struggling with mental disorders. If these conditions go untreated, the symptoms may worsen, resulting in adverse health implications and increase the cost of treating the condition. The mental health of adolescents in the teenage group determines the outcome of education and career for the affected people. This maturation age go with both the physiological and psychological transformations that make the empathy of life a challenge. Following this observation, an empirical assessment of medical facilities revealed various gaps in delivering mental screening. There is a need to develop an effective system of care collaboration and psychological screening amongst healthcare providers and supportive institutions.

Literature Review

The nursing practice stands out as one of the most versatile careers in healthcare. Amaral, Geierstanger, Soleimanpour, and Brindis (2011), created the scientific workforce concept for nursing. The system encouraged team training and teamwork in the execution of different treatment practices. Until today, the concept has been effective even after modern nursing advanced with the incorporation of technology and evidence-based practices. Geared by adaptive capacity and versatility of the nursing profession, career pathways have evolved, resulting in the advanced scope of responsibilities and practice for health professionals. In the context of mental health screening, research was conducted by Bauldry and Szaflarski (2017) to find evidence in improved mental health outcomes for teenagers using the SBHCs. The SBHC is a standardized method of screening and a collaborative model of patient care that incorporates SBHC health professionals, administrators, and guidance counselors. The databases examined include Pubmed, PsycINFO, Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) using the referral system, interprofessional, and mental health Improving the Outcomes of Mental Health Screening.

Udod and Wagner (2018) investigated the utilization and impact of the Youth Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-Y) screening technique on the mental health of students and the immediate medical appointment to the SBHC. Using the data collected from 383 students in a single high school, researchers examined the impact of implementing a screening tool. Among the students who completed the screening, 14% scored above the cutoff score. These results were useful in identifying students who had previously participated in mental screening, those with insurance coverage, and those with children. Besides, 12% of the students showed an interest in mental health screening because of their behavioral and emotional challenges. Overall, the findings supported the previous results psychological screening with the PSC-Y tool in which there was a 48% decrease in mental related absenteeism and a 23% decrease in lateness for students who were referred for mental screening.

Citing the OCA report of 2014, Barratt, and Thomas (2019) attempted to demonstrate the effectiveness of applying universal screening in a city case presentation in which he applied an action research approach. The screening program applying the Behavior Assessment System, Behavior and Emotion Screening System (BASC-2) was instigated in three city schools in an entire academic year and a subsequent follow-up in the next year. The universal screening tool used for the platform measures internalizing issues like behavioral issues, emotional disturbance, adaptive skills, and learning problems. One identified the benefit of the screening process, as noted by the school administration, was the capacity to design counseling schedules with consideration of pupils’ needs, which supports concrete data. In the first year of the program implementation, partakers in grades9, 6, and 3 (N=315) accomplished the program with 10% (N=31) being sorted for farther intervention. Among the 31 students, 82% had reported disciplinary issues with the administration. The remaining 20% had no reported disciplinary issues nor school-based screening programs. The findings suggest that the universal screening process helps in uncovering students with behavioral and emotional disturbances. Through effortful communication between the school, community stakeholders, family, and comprehensive screening facilitators, there was an increased awareness of the psychological needs of students, increase collaboration with mental health clinicians, greater awareness among caregivers, and crisis-level intervention Improving the Outcomes of Mental Health Screening.

Impact of SBHC on Mental Health

With low-socioeconomic status individuals being the most vulnerable for mental disorders and rising cost of treatment, Van der Biezen, Wensing, Poghosyan, van der Burgt, and Laurant (2017) investigated the impact of the application of SBHC on healthcare systems and Health-related Quality of Life (HRQOL) scores. The survey exploited a longitudinal quasi-empirical repeated process that assessed the highlighted indicators in four city schools that deliberated the SBHC program and the other two schools that did not. The data were classified in terms of cost perspective and outcome perspective, and the dependent variables included the total Medicaid insurance reimbursement, the HRQOL reported, the total cost of medical care, and the number of students in the mental screening programs. Results of the study demonstrated that the students’ percentage who participated in the mental health treatment in urban increased by 5.7% and by5.9% in rural areas after SBHC programs were deployed. In the schools that did not implement the SBHC programs, mental health services only increased by 2.4% and 0.6% in urban areas and rural areas, respectively. Besides, both the school-based mental health screening users and nonusers had lower reimbursement rates for mental health compared to students in non-SBHC schools. The findings of the mental HRQOL study did not reveal statistical significance between users of SBHC and non-SBHC. However, positive mental health indicators increased among students who participated in the SBHC program compared to the nonusers Improving the Outcomes of Mental Health Screening.

The study of literature demonstrates the effectiveness of universal mental screening for teenagers in the timely recognition of behavioral and emotional issues and the results this has on the schools, students, and families. The findings indicate positive outcomes, including a decrease in the cost of treatment, accessibility of mental screening services, reduced cases of absenteeism and lateness, and improved mental health of students in general. However, the survey only focused on SBHC or the role of school-based cancelers in recognition of related psychiatric disorders and a sequential referral to an outside mental healthcare provider. The current project focused on evaluating how the collaboration of all stakeholders with close interaction with the person having mental disorders can influence quick identification of mental disorders and internal utilization of mental health facilities.

Rationale

The immediate component of the projected intervention focuses on the incorporation of extensive screening for people with mental disorders. The prevailing practices at schools signify a fractured level of involvement with little efforts of mental health promotion. Two theoretical frameworks provide support for extensive screening; that is, the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) and a Public Approach to Children’s Mental Health (PACMH). PACMH was developed by Miles (2009) and emphasized intervention that is divided into four different categories that include Preventing, Reclaiming, Promoting, and Treating. Reclaiming and treating provide interventions for an identified health problem, while preventing and promoting deals with an unidentified issue. While each of the discussed systems in which different stakeholders maneuver work independently to achieve the purpose of the target organization, for the common goal of addressing the mental health outcome of individuals, the need for organizational collaboration is paramount.

Methods used for Interventions

The aim of the current report was to a deliberate comprehensive knowledge of evidence-based mental examination and IPC skills of the participants. The principal objective was to facilitate the screening of students who are exposed to the potential risk of mental illness. Training sessions were also incorporated in the use of the screening tool as well as the communication system. Additionally, the program conducted an impact assessment of case management interprofessional methods for mental health requirements through the monthly ICR meeting. The tools selection and design were based on applicability for both non-medical and the medical staff. The PSC-Y was explicitly chosen to allow the participants to self-administer for themselves without much dependence on the team. A standard scoring guide was developed to permit the ease of application for all stakeholders. Pre-presentation and post-presentation surveys were used to evaluate the measures of screening methods, fundamental concepts, and knowledge improvement. The survey was conducted using the 5-point Likert scale with complementary open-ended questions contextually fitting to the study outcomes.

The screening preparedness and mental health understanding questionnaire consisted of eight statements while the participants were allowed to select from a statement scale ranging from strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree, and neutral. Furthermore, the questionnaire used was derived from the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLC), which established test-retest and excellent internal reliability. The organization of IPC perception and understanding survey was identical and consisted of our statements. Two open-ended questionnaires were used to evaluate the readiness opinion of the participants in addressing the mental health requirements and their supposed roles as well as the level of screening participation within an interdisciplinary group. The questionnaire was administered before and after the intervention. A third question was asked after IPC learning to evaluate the perceived value of a participant towards the collaborative model and ICR. Furthermore, a stakeholder survey was executed two months after the intervention to identify the number of participants who had been screened and sorted for a referral Improving the Outcomes of Mental Health Screening.

Summary

This project was instigated to evaluate the impact of successful implementation of universal mental screening and the IPC framework through which collaboration willingness, preparedness, and knowledge of the partakers would be substantially improved. These objectives were accomplished as confirmed through the general improvement in screening readiness and mental health awareness reported the significance of collaboration, and empathy of referral resources. The extended aim of improving the number of participants noted to be at a higher risk for psychological and behavioral problems was verified empirically. The missing research in the setting off universal mental screening and collaboration and referral systems was successfully identified through stakeholders’ input and experiential observation. Similarly, the considerable support from various stakeholders in training and project interventions was the principal factor for the achievement of the intended outcome while the basic elements leading to the sustainability of the program are the incorporation of subsidiary components of mental health assessment and service delivery, bringing together different support networks. The permanence of access to screening programs is beneficial as the opportunities for therapeutic interventions increases.

Discussion

Interpretation supported by the conceptual framework that incorporates a public health methodology, a Multi-Tiered Support System, and the interdisciplinary model, the outcome of the intervention revealed improvements in participants’ perception and knowledge concerning IPC and screening for mental health. The Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) who have specialized in mental health should focus beyond the patient roaster of the practitioner. This means that focus must be enlarged with emphasis on the maintenance of health rather than treatment at the population level. In this context, the population depicts a vulnerable community with higher exposure to psychological or behavioral issues built on multiple indicators, including the teenagers, immigrants, the poor, and the minority. This report depicts a model through which farther actions to mitigate the occurrence of mental health disorders could be established, employing the PMHNP as the driver of change and improved mental health. Evaluation of the responses verified the achievement of the project objectives, with measurable goals having validated improvement from the baseline valuation scores. The exception was the four Likert Scale interview questions concerning the perception of participants concerning mental health, which resulted in a decrease in scores. However, none of the reduction in the mean score was statistically expressive; instead, it warrants evaluation into possible causal factors.

Conclusion

With numerous psychological and physiological pointers of well-being linked to good mental health, the goal of impactful and early screening or intervention are progressing in the design of mental health programs and referral systems focusing on the vulnerable population. For the teenage population, the truth points out that psychological and behavioral impairments are associated with undiagnosed mental disorder. This research focused on the importance of convenient access to critical services to reduce prolonged mental health problems that can increase the future cost of treatment or cause affected individuals to lose focus on their set education, family, and career goals. This study was effective in optimizing the exploitation of the available resources that are abundant and collectively provide a considerable opportunity for improving mental health outcomes in the lives of people. A DNP graduate can partake and contribute to the enhancement of mental health through practice projects and direct care. With the help of communication, shared expertise, streamlined surveillance, resources, and referral, the interaction between the support staff, mental health graduates, and the SBHC have a significant chance of becoming a model platform of mental health that can be embraced by others. Future projects should involve the integration of the mental health screening tool in a wide area, which would improve the degree of intervention and facilitate population health education and practice. This presents further DNP level research opportunities while at the same time strengthening the collaboration between USF and the subsequent community partner by delivering support of the initial project Improving the Outcomes of Mental Health Screening.

References

Amaral, G., Geierstanger, S., Soleimanpour, S., & Brindis, C. (2011). Mental health characteristics and health-seeking behaviors of adolescent school-based health center users and nonusers. Journal of School Health, 81(3), 138-145.

Barratt, J., & Thomas, N. (2019). Nurse practitioner consultations in primary health care: a case study-based survey of patients’ pre-consultation expectations, and post-consultation satisfaction and enablement. Primary health care research & development, 20.

Bauldry, S. & Szaflarski, M. (2017). Immigrant-based disparities in mental health care utilization. Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 3 1-14. DOI: 10.1177/2378023116685718

Brownson, R. C., Proctor, E. K., Luke, D. A., Baumann, A. A., Staub, M., Brown, M. T., & Johnson, M. (2017). Building capacity for dissemination and implementation research: one university’s experience. Implementation Science, 12(1), 104.

Udod, S., & Wagner, J. (2018). Common Change Theories and Application to Different Nursing Situations. Leadership and Influencing Change in Nursing.

Van der Biezen, M., Wensing, M., Poghosyan, L., van der Burgt, R., & Laurant, M. (2017). Collaboration in teams with nurse practitioners and general practitioners during out-of-hours and implications for patient care; a qualitative study. BMC health services research, 17(1), 589.

VanderKooi, M. E., Conrad, D. M., & Spoelstra, S. L. (2018). An enhanced actualized DNP model to improve DNP project placements, rigor, and completion. Nursing education perspectives, 39(5), 299.

Will, K. K., Johnson, M. L., & Lamb, G. (2019). Team-based care and patient satisfaction in the hospital setting: a systematic review. Journal of patient-centered research and reviews, 6(2), 158.Brown, L. L., & Overly, F. L. (2016). Simulation-based interprofessional team training. Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine, 17(3), 179-184 Improving the Outcomes of Mental Health Screening.