Internet-delivered interventions can be effective in treating mental disorders. However, their rate of use in German psychiatric inpatient routine care is low. The current study aimed to investigate ...the attitude of mental health care professionals working in inpatient care regarding internet-delivered interventions, including presumed benefits, barriers and facilitators. In total, 176 health professionals from ten inpatient psychiatric hospitals throughout Germany were surveyed on site. The professionals’ attitude towards internet-delivered interventions in inpatient care was assessed by an adapted version of the ‘Attitude toward Telemedicine in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy’ (ATTiP) questionnaire. To identify benefits, barriers and facilitators, we developed open-response questions that were based on the ‘Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology’ (UTAUT) and analyzed by a qualitative content analysis. Professionals reported little experience or knowledge about internet-delivered interventions. Their attitude towards internet-delivered interventions in psychiatric inpatient care was rather indifferent. The most frequently mentioned potential benefits were an optimised treatment structure and patient empowerment; the most frequently anticipated barriers were too severe symptoms of patients, the feared neglect of face-to-face contacts and insufficient technical equipment; and the most frequently mentioned facilitators were high usability of the internet-based intervention, a sufficient functional level of the patient and further education of staff. For successful implementation in the inpatient sector, internet-delivered interventions must be adapted to the special needs of severely mentally ill patients and to the hospital management systems and workflow. In addition, technical preconditions (internet access, devices) must be met. Last, further education of mental health care professionals is needed.
Mental disorders (MDs) are one of the leading causes for workforce sickness absence and disability worldwide. The burden, costs and challenges are enormous for the individuals concerned, employers ...and society at large. Although most MDs are characterised by a high risk of relapse after treatment or by chronic courses, interventions that link medical-psychotherapeutic approaches with work-directed components to facilitate a sustainable return to work (RTW) are rare. This protocol describes the design of a study to evaluate the (cost-)effectiveness and implementation process of a multimodal, clinical and work-directed intervention, called RTW-PIA, aimed at employees with MDs to achieve sustainable RTW in Germany.
The study consists of an effectiveness, a health-economic and a process evaluation, designed as a two-armed, multicentre, randomised controlled trial, conducted in German psychiatric outpatient clinics. Sick-listed employees with MDs will receive either the 18-month RTW-PIA treatment in conjunction with care as usual, or care as usual only. RTW-PIA consists of a face-to-face individual RTW support, RTW aftercare group meetings, and web-based aftercare. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after completion of baseline survey. The primary outcome is the employees´ achievement of sustainable RTW, defined as reporting less than six weeks of working days missed out due to sickness absence within 12 months after first RTW. Secondary outcomes include health-related quality of life, mental functioning, RTW self-efficacy, overall job satisfaction, severity of mental illness and work ability. The health-economic evaluation will be conducted from a societal and public health care perspective, as well as from the employer's perspective in a cost-benefit analysis. The design will be supplemented by a qualitative effect evaluation using pre- and post-interviews, and a multimethod process evaluation examining various predefined key process indicators from different stakeholder perspectives.
By applying a comprehensive, multimethodological evaluation design, this study captures various facets of RTW-PIA. In case of promising results for sustainable RTW, RTW-PIA may be integrated into standard care within German psychiatric outpatient clinics.
The study was prospectively registered with the German Clinical Trials Register ( DRKS00026232 , 1 September 2021).
Home treatment offered by outpatient care providers is associated with a reduction in inpatient treatment days and impacts quality of life (QoL) of individuals suffering from a severe mental illness ...and their relatives. For the first time, home treatment approaches can now also be offered and reimbursed as so called
(stäB) by psychiatric hospitals. Principles of a structured cross-sectoral collaboration and their implementation were outlined and consented by the most relevant stakeholders. The principles outlined are guided by the patient care needs.
Fast 200.000 Menschen sterben jedes Jahr in Deutschland an den Folgen von Alkohol- und Tabakmissbrauch. Schuld an dieser hohen Zahl sind nicht die Suchtmediziner, sondern ein auf veralteten ...Paradigmen beruhendes Therapiesystem, findet die Psychiater-Präsidentin Dr. Iris Hauth. Sie ruft Politik und Ärzte auf, die neuen, evidenzbasierten S3-Behandlungslinien umzusetzen.
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