Ayuso-Mateos, Jose L, Miret, Maria, Lopez-Garcia, Pilar, Alem, Atalay, Chisholm, Dan, Gureje, Oye, Hanlon, Charlotte, Jordans, Mark, Kigozi, Fred, Petersen, Inge, Semrau, Maya, Shidhaye, Rahul and Thornicroft, Graham (2019) Effective methods for knowledge transfer to strengthen mental health systems in low- and middle-income countries. British Journal of Psychiatry, 5 (5). pp. 1-6. ISSN 0007-1250

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Abstract

To address the important issue of improving outcomes of people with mental health disor-ders in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), the EMERALD program (“Emerging mental health systems in LMICs)” has focused on how to strengthen mental health sys-tems in six LMICs (Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda). This was done by generating evidence and capacity to enhance health system performance in deliv-ering mental health care. This important goal was pursued through a collaborative ap-proach to implementing changes in mental health services and policies following four key elements: 1) involving relevant stake-holders like policy planners, services users and car-ers; 2) generating evidence for local implementation of policies; 3) capacity-building initi-atives; and 4) a targeted communication and dissemination strategy for the project’s re-search activities and results.
Over five years of collaboration, the experience collected by Emerald may serve to facili-tate knowledge transfer from other research projects in other contexts and countries. The early involvement of policy planners, service users, and carers was a key element in the local dissemination of the project´s goals and findings. It was also key in the early adop-tion of the care models proposed by the project at the local level. This approach may be valid beyond the mental health context, and may be effective for any initiative that aims at implementing evidence-based health policies for health system strengthening.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Global mental health, knowledge transfer, health system strengthening
Schools and Departments:	Brighton and Sussex Medical School > Global Health and Infection
Research Centres and Groups:	Wellcome Trust Brighton and Sussex Centre for Global Health Research
Depositing User:	Esther Garibay
Date Deposited:	03 Jul 2019 09:19
Last Modified:	03 May 2023 14:28
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/84712

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