ArticleBMC medical education2022
Enabling mental health task-sharing: a collective case study of undergraduate clinical associate training programmes in South Africa.
Article in BMC medical education, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Utilising clinical associates to address mental health service provision challenges in South Africa: the views of healthcare managers and providers.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Developing mental health curricula and a service provision model for clinical associates in South Africa: a Delphi survey of family physicians and psychiatrists.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Rehabilitation in primary care for an ageing population: a secondary analysis from a scoping review of rehabilitation delivery models.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Mental illness attitudes, service provision interest and further training preferences of clinical associates.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2024Article
- Knowledge, confidence, and practices of clinical associates in the management of mental illness.The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa · 2023Article
- Mental health task-sharing in South Africa - a role for clinical associates?BMC health services research · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThere is a shortage of the human resources needed to deliver mental health services which is likely to be exacerbated by COVID-19. Due to mental health workforce shortages, task-shifting and task-sharing approaches have been implemented in a number of countries. Clinical associates, a mid-level cadre working under the supervision of medical practitioners, could play a role in delivering mental health services but it is not clear if they are adequately prepared. This study explored the mental health curriculum content of the undergraduate clinical associate training programmes in South Africa and the views of key informants of the adequacy of training in mental health.
methodsA qualitative collective case study approach was utilised for this multisite study at the three universities in South Africa offering clinical associate degrees. The study consisted of in-depth interviews utilising videoconferencing of individuals involved in each programme and a document review. Thematic analysis of the data was conducted.
resultsNineteen interviews were conducted. Mental health formed part of the curriculum in all three programmes with the bulk of the training taking place in the final year of the three-year degree. Facility-based training ranged from two weeks to four weeks with one university only using hospitals with mental health units while two universities used hospitals at which the students were based for the year regardless of potential mental health exposure they would receive. The list of curricula inclusions extended to seldom-seen conditions. The quality of training and supervision appeared site-dependant and only one university set minimum experiential targets.
conclusionThere is a basis on which to build the competencies and skills regarding mental health in this cadre. A training model that integrates mental health early in the undergraduate curriculum, focuses on common conditions and those with high disease burden, includes time in a mental health unit, provides facility-based trainers with detailed guidance to improve standardisation, and includes specific experiential targets that are monitored will enhance the potential utility of this cadre.
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