Alistair Campbell1. 1. Department of Rural Health, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. alistair.campbell@jcu.edu.au
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a primary care mental health service. DESIGN: The study used a naturalistic longitudinal design to follow groups of participants who received intervention from a rural mental health worker, or 'usual' mental health service, or no treatment, over a period of 12 months. SETTING: The service was evaluated in a rural primary care setting. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and forty-five primary care patients. OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in symptomatology were assessed using the SCL-90R summary scales, and changes in quality of life were assessed using the EuroQOL. RESULTS: Those participants treated by the primary mental health worker showed significant improvements in symptoms and quality of life compared to both the usual and no-treatment groups. CONCLUSION: There are few studies evaluating mental health services in rural settings. This study demonstrated that a particular model of primary mental health care was more effective than usual mental health care and no treatment at resolving symptoms and improving quality of life.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a primary care mental health service. DESIGN: The study used a naturalistic longitudinal design to follow groups of participants who received intervention from a rural mental health worker, or 'usual' mental health service, or no treatment, over a period of 12 months. SETTING: The service was evaluated in a rural primary care setting. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and forty-five primary care patients. OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in symptomatology were assessed using the SCL-90R summary scales, and changes in quality of life were assessed using the EuroQOL. RESULTS: Those participants treated by the primary mental health worker showed significant improvements in symptoms and quality of life compared to both the usual and no-treatment groups. CONCLUSION: There are few studies evaluating mental health services in rural settings. This study demonstrated that a particular model of primary mental health care was more effective than usual mental health care and no treatment at resolving symptoms and improving quality of life.
Authors: Zoe Hildon; Jenny Neuburger; Dominique Allwood; Jan van der Meulen; Nick Black Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2012-06-21 Impact factor: 2.655
Authors: John Wakerman; John S Humphreys; Robert Wells; Pim Kuipers; Philip Entwistle; Judith Jones Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2008-12-29 Impact factor: 2.655