Abstract
Aim: The current research was conducted in the context of an ongoing reform of mental health services in the Republic of Moldova since 2014, where efforts have been devoted to creating community-based mental health services. This article presents a snapshot of the needs of mental health service users in the Republic of Moldova and helps to understand how and with which services their needs can be addressed. Methods: This cross-sectional study compared the levels of needs (CANSAS scale), quality of life (EQ-5D 3L), mental health status (MINI for psychotic disorders) and functioning (WHO-DAS) among mental health service users in the psychiatric hospital in Chisinau, Moldova. All service users resided in districts where community mental health services were being developed. Correlations between quality of life, functioning and unmet need were explored. Results: Of 83 participants, one third had a psychotic or a mood disorder. On average, participants reported needs in 9.41 domains (SD = 4.41), of which 4.29 were unmet (SD = 3.63). Most unmet needs related to intimacy and relation to others. The level of functioning and quality of life were reported. We found strong, negative associations between the number of unmet needs and level of functioning, as well as the quality of life. We also found that higher functioning levels were positively associated with higher quality of life. Conclusion: There were a high number of unmet needs among this inpatient population, particularly social needs and service-related needs. A continuum of inpatient and outpatient care and individual treatment plans can help address the different needs of different patients. Individual treatment plans for patients and the choice of the appropriate treatment for patients could be guided by an assessment of service users’ (unmet) needs of care and level of functioning.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 49-57 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | International Journal of Social Psychiatry |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 11 Oct 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2020 |
Funding
There were a high number of unmet needs among this inpatient population, particularly social needs and service-related needs. A continuum of inpatient and outpatient care and individual treatment plans can help address the different needs of different patients. Individual treatment plans for patients and the choice of the appropriate treatment for patients could be guided by an assessment of service users’ (unmet) needs of care and level of functioning. Central and Eastern Europe mental disorder unmet needs quality of life level of functioning patient assessment edited-state corrected-proof We would like to acknowledge Marjonneke de Vetten for her work in the formative phase of this project, Dr Raluca Nica for her work in designing and implementing this assessment and the Moldova reform project team for making this research possible. We gratefully acknowledge the project mandate and funding for the Moldova reform project from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), project number 7F08711. Funding The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was conducted in the context of the Moldova reform project, a project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC, project number 7F08711) and implemented by the Trimbos Institute in the Netherlands. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SDC. ORCID iD Jona J Frasch https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1763-8882 Supplemental material Supplemental material for this article is available online.
Keywords
- Central and Eastern Europe
- level of functioning
- mental disorder
- patient assessment
- quality of life
- unmet needs