Is the performance of an Integrated Mental Health Network related to its readiness for chronicity and/or structures?

Abstract

Mental health is one of the areas in which integrated care is so relevant due to the great number of organisations that are involved in its provision: primary care, acute care, mental health centres, psychiatric hospitals, NGOs, social organisations,...Evaluation is key in order to know whether structures and processes are well coordinated among all the agents and patients are adequately approached and cared. The Bizkaia Mental Health Network (BMHN) has designed its Atlas of the mental health care system of Bizkaia (Basque Country) using the DESDE-2.0 methodology[1] so that all services for persons with mental health have been mapped. Structure and capacity are necessary but not enough inputs when it comes to achieving proactive, efficient and coordinated care. For that reason, the information stemming from the Atlas should be combined with information about its readiness to undertake processes to provide integrated care to cope with the challenge of mental health chronicity and with information on the expected outcomes for its patient populations so that an integral vision of the organisation can be drawn.