Background The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on mental health of populations is in focus recently but few studies focus on service adaptations to ensure care provision for the mentally ill. In India, where community-based mental healthcare is led by non-government organizations (NGOs), this is a crucial time to gather evidence on how these organizations adapted to the challenges. Methods We explored provider perspectives in an NGO providing mental health services to communities using in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion to understand the impact on services and adaptations during the COVID 19 pandemic. Results Three elements of service provision were highlighted: established relationships with communities, responsiveness to the patient needs, and resilience in ensuring continuity. Responding to the end-to-end care needs of the clients and continual adaptations were vital for ensuring continued services. Telemedicine enabled expansion of service and clientele as well as efficiency, but there were issues of casualization of therapy and poor privacy. Conclusions The study provides an understanding of adaptations to ensure continuity of care to mentally ill during disruptions. Insights from strategies are crucial to help plan for resilient community-based mental health care services.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.