A Qualitative Evaluation of Health Professionals’ Perceptions State-wide Outreach Perinatal Mental Health Service

Abstract

The State-wide Outreach Perinatal Services – Mental Health (SwOPS) is a telehealth consultation liaison service aimed at bridging the gap in perinatal mental health service provision in rural and remote areas across New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The service enables health professionals working within the NSW health service to refer perinatal women with moderate-to-severe or complex mental health conditions for assessment and treatment advice by a perinatal psychiatrist and senior clinical nurse consultant. There is, however, limited research evaluating the impact of the service. The current study represents the first qualitative investigation into the experiences of health professionals accessing the SwOPS service. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 health professionals from rural, remote and metropolitan areas who had experience with the SwOPS service. Data was analysed using a thematic analysis approach, four themes and 14 sub-themes were identified: accessing the SwOPS service (limited resources in rural and remote areas, expert advice, and education and clinical supervision), unique and valuable service (easy access and reduction in wait-times, reduces admission and re-presentation, and service providers and capacity building), benefits to health professionals (education, peer networking and community of practice, comprehensive reports), and room for improvement (need for increased resources, cultural sensitivity, expand service, access to electronic medical record, and improve marketing). Results highlight the limited resources available to rural and remote perinatal mental health services providers. Further, findings highlight the need for services such as SwOPS to help bridge the gap in the provision of mental health services and rural and remote areas.