Outcomes from the trial implementation of a multidisciplinary online learning program in rural mental health emergency care
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Emergency Departments (EDs) are often the first point of contact for people with acute mental health problems. The impact of the Mental Health Emergency Care (MHEC) online learning program on the knowledge and skills development of clinicians and support staff was evaluated, and options for sustainable implementation of the program were proposed. METHODS: Participants were recruited from the four rural health services and the rural areas of one metropolitan health service in New South Wales, Australia. The MHEC course was conducted online over 24 weeks and comprised four sequential modules, each based on a clinical scenario that demonstrated a typical, acute mental health presentation to a general hospital ED. The course was designed to model collaborative practice in mental health emergency care. RESULTS: Participants were surveyed before and after completing the MHEC course. Statistically significant improvements were detected in participant confidence in managing key mental health problems, perceived self-efficacy in dealing with challenging, aggressive behaviours and confidence in key online learning skills. Participants also reported very positive experiences in relation to the course content and structure, instructor support, multidisciplinary discussion and feedback, and improvements in their knowledge and skills about emergency mental healthcare. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence for the effectiveness and acceptability of an online educational program in developing the capacity of front-line staff to respond effectively to people who present to EDs with acute mental health problems. The positive outcomes and evaluations of the MHEC course provide support for the deployment of online learning programs that address mental health emergency care.
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Non-specialist providers especially need training, but mental health specialists also need training to work effectively in shared-care teams.
“Training is especially needed for providers who are not mental health specialists (eg, emergency department staff, CHWs),29,51 but even mental health specialists need training to be effective team members when sharing mental health care tasks with other providers.”
From Task-sharing approaches to improve mental health care in rural and other low-resource settings: a systematic review (2018) · cites this paper as [51]
Teleconference training can standardize content for larger groups across distances, but provider time limits hinder completion.
“Teleconference trainings can standardize the course to a larger group across large distances, but provider time constraints are a barrier to completing such trainings.51”
From Task-sharing approaches to improve mental health care in rural and other low-resource settings: a systematic review (2018) · cites this paper as [51]
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- Authors
- Hills, D., Robinson, T., Kelly, B., & Heathcote, S.
- Affiliations
- Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health (AU)
- University of Newcastle Australia (AU)
- Venue
- Education for Health
- Published
- 2010
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 351
- ISSN
- 1357-6283 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1910021253
- Cited by
- 15
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2024: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Education for Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Innovations in Medical Education
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Emergency Medicine › Emergency Medicine Education and Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychiatric care and mental health services
- Keywords
- online learning, emergency department, rural health care, multidisciplinary education, clinician knowledge and skills, self-efficacy, program implementation, collaborative practice
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Clinical Competence, Computer-Assisted Instruction, Cooperative Behavior, Educational Measurement, Educational Status, Emergency Medical Services, Female, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Male, Mental Health, Mental Health Services, Middle Aged, New South Wales, Online Systems, Patient Care Team, Surveys and Questionnaires, Program Evaluation, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Statistics, Nonparametric, Rural Health Services, Education, Distance, Qualitative Research, Young Adult
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