Tara Beaulieu1, Scott Patten2, Stephanie Knaak3, Rivian Weinerman4,5, Helen Campbell4,5, Bianca Lauria-Horner1. 1. 1 Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. 2. 2 Department of Community Health Services and Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta. 3. 3 Opening Minds Anti-Stigma Initiative, Mental Health Commission of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. 4. 4 Vancouver Island Health Authority, Vancouver, British Columbia. 5. 5 Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Victoria, British Columbia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Most interventions to reduce stigma in health professionals emphasize education and social contact-based strategies. We sought to evaluate a novel skill-based approach: the British Columbia Adult Mental Health Practice Support Program. We sought to determine the program's impact on primary care providers' stigma and their perceived confidence and comfort in providing care for mentally ill patients. We hypothesized that enhanced skills and increased comfort and confidence on the part of practitioners would lead to diminished social distance and stigmatization. Subsequently, we explored the program's impact on clinical outcomes and health care costs. These outcomes are reported separately, with reference to this article. METHODS: In a double-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial, 111 primary care physicians were assigned to intervention or control groups. A validated stigma assessment tool, the Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC), was administered to both groups before and after training. Confidence and comfort were assessed using scales constructed from ad hoc items. RESULTS: In the primary analysis, no significant differences in stigma were found. However, a subscale assessing social distance showed significant improvement in the intervention group after adjustment for a variable (practice size) that was unequally distributed in the randomization. Significant increases in confidence and comfort in managing mental illness were observed among intervention group physicians. A positive correlation was found between increased levels of confidence/comfort and improvements in overall stigma, especially in men. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides some preliminary evidence of a positive impact on health care professionals' stigma through a skill-building approach to management of mild to moderate depression and anxiety in primary care. The intervention can be used as a primary vehicle for enhancing comfort and skills in health care providers and, ultimately, reducing an important dimension of stigma: preference for social distance.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: Most interventions to reduce stigma in health professionals emphasize education and social contact-based strategies. We sought to evaluate a novel skill-based approach: the British Columbia Adult Mental Health Practice Support Program. We sought to determine the program's impact on primary care providers' stigma and their perceived confidence and comfort in providing care for mentally illpatients. We hypothesized that enhanced skills and increased comfort and confidence on the part of practitioners would lead to diminished social distance and stigmatization. Subsequently, we explored the program's impact on clinical outcomes and health care costs. These outcomes are reported separately, with reference to this article. METHODS: In a double-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial, 111 primary care physicians were assigned to intervention or control groups. A validated stigma assessment tool, the Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC), was administered to both groups before and after training. Confidence and comfort were assessed using scales constructed from ad hoc items. RESULTS: In the primary analysis, no significant differences in stigma were found. However, a subscale assessing social distance showed significant improvement in the intervention group after adjustment for a variable (practice size) that was unequally distributed in the randomization. Significant increases in confidence and comfort in managing mental illness were observed among intervention group physicians. A positive correlation was found between increased levels of confidence/comfort and improvements in overall stigma, especially in men. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides some preliminary evidence of a positive impact on health care professionals' stigma through a skill-building approach to management of mild to moderate depression and anxiety in primary care. The intervention can be used as a primary vehicle for enhancing comfort and skills in health care providers and, ultimately, reducing an important dimension of stigma: preference for social distance.
Authors: Maarten van 't Hof; Annemyn D Y van Nieuwenhuyzen; Ina van Berckelaer-Onnes; Mathijs Deen; Hans W Hoek; Wietske A Ester Journal: J Autism Dev Disord Date: 2021-01-09
Authors: Stacey D Espinet; Sandra Gotovac; Sommer Knight; Larry Wissow; Merrick Zwarenstein; Lorelei Lingard; Margaret Steele Journal: Can J Psychiatry Date: 2019-12-09 Impact factor: 4.356
Authors: Laura Nyblade; Melissa A Stockton; Kayla Giger; Virginia Bond; Maria L Ekstrand; Roger Mc Lean; Ellen M H Mitchell; La Ron E Nelson; Jaime C Sapag; Taweesap Siraprapasiri; Janet Turan; Edwin Wouters Journal: BMC Med Date: 2019-02-15 Impact factor: 8.775