Journal Article

Nuovi ruoli e competenze sul territorio. Ipotesi di integrazione della salute mentale nelle Case della comunità: i risultati di una survey

Giorgi, Silvano, Lucii, Claudio, Dei, Simona, Pianigiani, Luca, Maria Giovanna D’Amato, Meini, Barbara

2022

Overview

Introduction. Ministerial decree (m.d.) 77/2022 on community health care reform, which provides for the establishment of the Territorial operations centers (Cot) and Community homes (Cdc), does not take into consideration the areas of mental health, pathological addictions, and child neuropsychiatry, thus leaving undefined the physical location and forms of organizational connection between these services and other territorial and hospital services. In light of territorial experiences of health and social-health integration accrued in the Local health care authority and in the Tuscany region, and considering that Cdc are conceived in m.d. 77/2022 as capillary territorial organizations where multidisciplinary teams operate, it seems reasonable to put forward the proposal to revise the organization of mental health services by moving them closer to patients. The objective of this work is to assess the opinion of health professionals with respect to the proposed integration of mental health in the Cdc. Materials and methods. A survey was conducted on the possible integration of mental health in the Cdc, through multiple-choice and open-ended questionnaires administered to mental health professionals (from 08/03/2022 to 16/03/2022), psychologists and coordinators of Territorial functional aggregations (Tfa)/General practitioners (Gps) (from 17/03/2022 to 02/04/2022). Results. Among 44 mental health professionals, 69.7% thought it would be useful for a “community mental health” to be located in Cot/Cdc, as opposed to the remaining 30.3%. Then, 18 Aft/Gps coordinators and 47 psychologists (Psys) responded, respectively: both 61.1% of Aft/Gps coordinators and 68.2% of Psys believe it is useful for mental health services to be placed within the Cdc setting, as opposed to an opposing opinion of 11.1% (Aft/Gps coordinators) and 21.3% (Psys), respectively, and a 27.8% of Aft/Gps coordinators and 6.4% of Psys who cannot answer. Conclusions. From the results of the survey conducted among professionals in the area, it emerges that multidisciplinary, immediate, continuous dialogue between general medicine and mental health professionals offers the possibility of activating a “shared professional thinking” guarantor of equity of access, continuity of care, timeliness, quality and cost-effectiveness of interventions. In this area, there is a strong need to clarify organizational models, consequent to the measures of the National recovery and resilience plan regarding mental health.

• Publisher: Pensiero Scientifico Editore
• Subject: COVID-19 / Health care / Health services / Mental health / Multiple choice / Piano / Polls & surveys / Resilience (Psychology)