Improving the network management of integrated primary mental healthcare for older people in a rural Australian region: protocol for a mixed methods case study
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Date
2014-09-16Author
Fuller, Jeffrey
Oster, Candice
Dawson, Suzanne
Henderson, Julie
Nosworthy, Ann
Galley, Philip
McPhail, Ruth
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Introduction: An integrated approach to the mental
healthcare of older people is advocated across health,
aged care and social care sectors. It is not clear,
however, how the management of integrated servicing
should occur, although interorganisational relations
theory suggests a reflective network approach using
evaluation feedback. This research will test a network
management approach to help regional primary
healthcare organisations improve mental health service
integration.
Methods and analysis: This mixed methods case
study in rural South Australia will test facilitated
reflection within a network of health and social care
services to determine if this leads to improved
integration. Engagement of services will occur through
a governance group and a series of three 1-day service
stakeholder workshops. Facilitated reflection and
evaluation feedback will use information from a review
of health sector and local operational policies, a
network survey about current service links, gaps and
enablers and interviews with older people and their
carers about their help seeking journeys. Quantitative
and qualitative analysis will describe the policy
enablers and explore the current and ideal links
between services. The facilitated reflection will be
developed to maximise engagement of senior
management in the governance group and the service
staff at the operational level in the workshops. Benefit
will be assessed through indicators of improved
service coordination, collective ownership of service
problems, strengthened partnerships, agreed local
protocols and the use of feedback for accountability.
Ethics, benefits and dissemination: Ethics
approval will deal with the sensitivities of
organisational network research where data anonymity
is not preserved. The benefit will be the tested utility of
a facilitated reflective process for a network of health
and social care services to manage linked primary
mental healthcare for older people in a rural region.
Dissemination will make use of the sectoral networks
of the governance group.
Description
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