The Effect of Integrating CAMH Into PHC and Traditional Healers' Practice in Uganda: a Randomized Controlled Trial

University of Bergen

Status: Completed

Conditions: Community Mental Health Services

Treatments: Other: CAMH training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02552056

HS 1874

Details and patient eligibility

About

This randomized controlled trial will compare the effect of a CAMH integration package on yield of CAMH cases compared to non-CAMH integrated sites. It will be conducted among nurses, midwives and clinical officers who provide PHC services to children and adolescents in 42 health centers; and eligible traditional healers.

Full description

The overall goal of the study is to increase access to mental health services for children and adolescents in Uganda by improving entry through primary health care workers and traditional healers.

The main objective of the study is to measure the effect of integrating child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) into primary health care (PHC) and into traditional healers' services on CAMH case identification in 2 districts in Eastern Uganda, so as to improve entry into mental health services.

The specific objectives are:

1. To estimate the effect of CAMH integration into PHC on case identification, measured by the number of new non- epilepsy CAMH diagnoses.
2. To assess the feasibility and effect of integrating CAMH into traditional healers practice, measured by the number of CAMH referrals from community to clinics per month.
3. To assess the acceptability of CAMH integration among PHC workers and traditional healers
4. To estimate the costs associated with the integration of CAMH into PHC and traditional medicine

Enrollment: 36 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 1. Public (government health system) 2. No psychiatric nurse allocated

Exclusion criteria

• mhGAP training in the previous 3 years

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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36 participants in 2 patient groups

CAMH training

Experimental group

Description:

Intervention clinics will receive a CAMH integration package comprising of: * Training PHC workers (midwives, nurses and/or clinical officers) on how to screen and refer for CAMH, based on WHO mhGAP implementation guide. * Support supervision in the clinics to reinforce training and provide on-job support to PHC staff. * Provision of job aids and training materials

Treatment:

Other: CAMH training

No CAMH training

No Intervention group

Description:

Clinics will continue to provide the standard of care.