Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to determine the effectiveness of community outreach efforts in promoting public education on the early warning signs of psychosis and in generating referrals for treatment during the prodromal stage of illness. Design/methodology/approach-Five mental health centres across the United States implemented a community outreach model known as the Early Detection and Intervention for the Prevention of Psychosis Program (EDIPPP). A multi-site evaluation was conducted to assess whether the model's outreach objectives could be achieved among replication sites in geographically and demographically diverse locations. The assessment included the analysis of data from three main sources: administrative data, structured qualitative interviews, and participant self-report surveys. Findings-Results demonstrated that the outreach activities in all five sites resulted in increased awareness of participants about the early warning signs of psychosis, the availability of local treatment options and increased knowledge of the referral process. There were benefits of outreach participation regardless of whether the participant was a professional or non-professional in the community. Additionally, outreach participants showed a significant increase in their likelihood to refer a young adult for a mental health evaluation. Originality/value-Community outreach can be an effective tool for mental health centres in developing a local network that can generate timely referrals for early intervention programmes and clinical research. Results also show that relatively brief community engagement efforts can significantly increase the knowledge and awareness of the public on complex mental health conditions where early detection may be integral to effective treatment.
Background: Community health efforts often include outreach activities designed to increase awareness and ensure uptake of services or programs. Yet, few comprehensive outreach evaluations exist, particularly those designed to improve access to and use of mental health services. Purpose: This article summarizes the use of two established evaluation frameworks and details an approach to assessing outreach that may have broad appeal to administrators, social workers, health educators, community organizers, and others interested in exploring the results of their efforts. Setting: Multi-site national study conducted in five states Intervention: Community outreach Research Design: Two existing published frameworks are applied to assess community outreach. The evaluation design included three components: 1) process, 2) outcomes and 3) context. Data Collection and Analysis: Qualitative data were based on focus groups and key informant interviews. Quantitative data were gathered through evaluation surveys, tracking forms and other outreach protocols. The findings focus on lessons learned that may have applicability to others interested in evaluating community outreach efforts in areas beyond mental health.
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