Improving Access to Care with e-Mental Health

Earlier this year the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) hosted a roundtable in Vancouver, BC. They invited policymakers, clinicians, researchers, and people with lived experience to discuss the pressing issue of access to mental health care and how e-mental health can be used to improve the situation.

I was one of the attendees. We viewed stimulating and informative presentations by experts, followed by engaging breakout groups to discuss the issues raised. Our knowledge and recommendations were gathered at the end of the day. The MHCC distilled this knowledge into a report, and further reduced it to a one pager with key takeaway points:

Person-led care is central. Person-led both in terms of partnering with people with lived experience on co-design of mhealth and ehealth products, as well as giving people control and ownership of their data.
The digital divide must be addressed. The digital divide is the set of barriers to people using the internet and related technologies, whether it’s affordability, or user skills and ehealth navigation knowledge. We have to work on digital inclusion.
E-mental health is integral to improving access to care. Although not a panacea, e-mental health can help relieve other areas of an overburdened mental health system, with automated solutions for people with mild to moderate conditions. As well, it provides new gateway points especially important to rural and remote communities.
Innovation demands tolerance for risk. Expecting every mobile app to be supported by research evidence is not realistic. Evidence-informed products instead allow more flexibility in a fast-changing technology market. Ongoing program evaluations are another solution.
We need co-ordination. We can’t effectively promote the uptake of e-mental health without a strong team effort.
Strong leadership is key. Champions among practitioners, government, and users are important to create more visible change.
Tech is borderless, collaboration should be, too. We can learn from examples of what works around the globe, and partner with experienced people online.
Ultimately, it is about system change. Rather than being seen as an add-on to services, e-mental health should be viewed as part of integrated care that will transform the whole system.

The roundtable was a useful event that captured the zeitgeist of Canadian e-mental health knowledge and how it can be used to address a major access problem. The future is here, it’s now up to us to distribute it, while including, informing and involving users in this public health solution.

To request a copy of the full 48-page meeting report, please email MaryAnn Notarianni, Manager, e-Mental Health, at mnotarianni@mentalhealthcommission.ca.

Photo credit: unsplash.com (Sarah Dorweiler)