Mental health needs in a large urban school district: Findings from a web-based survey.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mental health needs of students, and the professional development and support needs of teachers and school health professionals, as a way to foster community engagement and help set priorities for a comprehensive school mental health system in the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD). SETTING: The study team surveyed all DPSCD staff in June 2019 and all students in grades 8-12 between October and December 2019. STUDY DESIGN: A descriptive study based on anonymous, web-based surveys focused on student trauma exposure and mental health symptoms, student mental health resource utilization, staff burnout, and professional development needs. DATA COLLECTION: All students (grades 8-12) and district staff were eligible to participate; the student survey was made available in six languages. Parents/guardians could opt children out; schools could exclude children unable to complete the survey independently. Student surveys were administered in school; staff surveys were sent via email. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Thirty-four percent of DPSCD students reported moderate/severe depression symptoms; 22% had seriously considered suicide in the past year. Rates exceed national averages; 37% of students with severe depression and 34% of those with suicidal ideation had not accessed mental health supports. Staff indicated high levels of burnout and substantial interest in learning about self-care strategies or coping with vicarious trauma. Over 75% of teachers and school mental health professionals expressed interest in learning about best practices for supporting students impacted by trauma or mental illness. CONCLUSIONS: A large number of DPSCD students are experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety, and many students who need care are not accessing it. Addressing the mental health needs of students is a high priority for staff, but they need more training and support, as well as support for their own vicarious trauma and high levels of burnout.

Developing a statewide network of coaches to support youth access to evidence-based practices.

Background: A national shortage of mental health providers for youth exists in the United States. Implementation support for mental health services in schools, where students are most likely to access care, can help to fill these gaps. Coaching consists of in vivo modeling and support during service delivery and is effective in supporting the implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs). This implementation report describes the recruitment and training of community providers to become coaches as a part of a modified train-the-trainer model of implementation support. Method: An EBP implementation program, Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students (TRAILS), trained community providers in Michigan to increase knowledge of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and position them as coaches in schools. The development of the coach network involved five stages prior to the initiation of a randomized controlled trial: (1) recruitment, (2) a one-day clinical training, (3) 12 weeks of individualized consultation, (4) evaluation, and (5) training in the coaching protocol. Results: A total of 347 individuals attended an initial training, and 187 were paired with a consultant. Eighty-six clinicians from 47 of Michigan's 83 counties successfully became coaches by completing all required elements of training. Coaches showed significant improvements in the use and knowledge of CBT across consultation. Conclusion: Statewide networks of trained mental health professionals can address gaps in mental healthcare for youth. This article demonstrates one strategy for strengthening and leveraging community expertise to support the implementation of EPBs in schools. Plain Language Summary: Although youth face many barriers in accessing effective mental health care, schools are one setting where they can more easily receive treatment. Research shows that training and supports are needed for school mental health professionals to provide effective care. Coaching, which involves in vivo support for school mental health professionals, is one helpful strategy. We describe the process of recruiting and training community clinicians to become coaches. The Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students (TRAILS) program successfully recruited and trained a network of 86 community clinicians to become coaches. Clinicians attended two day-long trainings and participated in 12 weeks of personalized consultation. Clients to whom these clinicians provided CBT showed significant symptom improvement. Clinicians also reported that they increased their knowledge and use of core CBT strategies, including psychoeducation, exposure, and behavioral activation. Community mental health professionals who are trained as coaches can address gaps in access to care for youth. We demonstrate one strategy for strengthening and leveraging clinicians' knowledge of CBT to support the school-based implementation of CBT.

Developing an evidence base of best practices for integrating computerized systems into the exam room: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: The introduction of health information technology systems, electronic health records in particular, is changing the nature of how clinicians interact with patients. Lack of knowledge remains on how best to integrate such systems in the exam room. The purpose of this systematic review was to (1) distill "best" behavioral and communication practices recommended in the literature for clinicians when interacting with patients in the presence of computerized systems during a clinical encounter, (2) weigh the evidence of each recommendation, and (3) rank evidence-based recommendations for electronic health record communication training initiatives for clinicians. METHODS: We conducted a literature search of 6 databases, resulting in 52 articles included in the analysis. We extracted information such as study setting, research design, sample, findings, and implications. Recommendations were distilled based on consistent support for behavioral and communication practices across studies. RESULTS: Eight behavioral and communication practices received strong support of evidence in the literature and included specific aspects of using computerized systems to facilitate conversation and transparency in the exam room, such as spatial (re)organization of the exam room, maintaining nonverbal communication, and specific techniques that integrate the computerized system into the visit and engage the patient. Four practices, although patient-centered, have received insufficient evidence to date. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: We developed an evidence base of best practices for clinicians to maintain patient-centered communications in the presence of computerized systems in the exam room. Further work includes development and empirical evaluation of evidence-based guidelines to better integrate computerized systems into clinical care.

Measuring the use of examination room time in oncology clinics: a novel approach to assessing clinic efficiency and patient flow.

PURPOSE: The use of time in outpatient cancer clinics is a marker of quality and efficiency. Inefficiencies such as excessive patient wait times can have deleterious effects on clinic flow, functioning, and patient satisfaction. We propose a novel method of objectively measuring patient time in cancer clinic examination rooms and evaluating its impact on overall system efficiency. METHODS: We video-recorded patient visits (N = 55) taken from a larger study to determine patient occupancy and flow in and out of examination rooms in a busy urban clinic in a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. Coders observed video recordings and assessed patient occupancy time, patient wait time, and physician-patient interaction time. Patient occupancy time was compared with scheduled occupancy time to determine discrepancy in occupancy time. Descriptive and correlational analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Mean patient occupancy time was 94.8 minutes (SD = 36.6), mean wait time was 34.9 minutes (SD = 28.8), and mean patient-physician interaction time was 29.0 minutes (SD = 13.5). Mean discrepancy in occupancy time was 40.3 minutes (range, 0.75 to 146.5 minutes). We found no correlation between scheduled occupancy time and patient occupancy time, patient-physician interaction time, and patient wait time, or between discrepancy in occupancy time and patient-physician interaction time. CONCLUSION: The method is useful for assessing clinic efficiency and patient flow. There was no relationship between scheduled and actual time patients spend in exam rooms. Such data can be used in the design of interventions that reduce patient wait times, increase efficient use of resources, and improve scheduling patterns.

Barriers to cancer screening among Orthodox Jewish women.

The increased risk of genetic cancer mutations for Ashkenazi Jews is well known. However, little is known about the cancer-related health behaviors of a subset of Ashkenazi Jews, Orthodox Jews, who are a very religious and insular group. This study partnered with Rabbinical leadership and community members in an Orthodox Jewish community to investigate barriers to cancer screening in this community. Orthodox Jewish women were recruited to participate in focus groups designed to elicit their perspectives on barriers to cancer screening. A total of five focus groups were conducted, consisting of 3-5 members per group, stratified by age and family history of cancer. Focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were coded using conventional content analysis. The resulting themes identified as barriers to cancer screening were: preservation of hidden miracles, fate, cost, competing priorities, lack of culturally relevant programming, lack of information, and fear. These results provide a unique perspective on barriers to cancer screening in a high risk but understudied population. Findings from this study may serve to inform culturally appropriate cancer education programs to overcome barriers to screening in this and other similar communities.