| Description |
Background: Family involvement, including couples, in adult outpatient mental health care has been shown to enhance patient outcomes significantly, yet consistent integration remains a challenge. Patients with mental health conditions often benefit from strong family support networks, which can improve treatment adherence, reduce symptoms, and foster overall recovery. However, outpatient mental health providers frequently face systemic and operational barriers that impede effective family engagement. Addressing these challenges is essential for the full benefits of family-supported care and fostering a more holistic approach to mental health treatment in outpatient settings. Local Problem: A healthcare system in the Salt Lake Valley, serving both urban and rural communities, continues to encounter ongoing difficulties in involving families in patient care. Providers encounter barriers such as limited time, confidentiality concerns, and insufficient guidelines for family involvement, impeding consistent integration of families into patient care treatment. These systemic issues limit opportunities to leverage family support, a crucial component in improving patient outcomes. Methods: A needs assessment was conducted within an adult mental health outpatient clinic to evaluate the feasibility and usability of enhancing family involvement by assessing the barriers faced by providers. Interventions: The needs assessment engaged key stakeholders within an urban adult outpatient mental health clinic to explore barriers to family involvement. An initial survey and interviews with mental health providers, including psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners, assessed provider challenges and attitudes toward family engagement. A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis examined the clinic's current family involvement practices, identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Data collection tools, including structured surveys, provided quantitative and qualitative insights to guide potential strategies for improving family engagement in patient care. Results: Survey results (n=17) highlighted significant barriers to family involvement in treatment planning, with scheduling difficulties (82.4%) and patient resistance (76.5%) being the most common. While most respondents (82.4%) believed family involvement improves outcomes, (58.8%) lacked awareness of procedures, and (35.3%) felt unprepared to engage families. Family participation was primarily initiated by patient requests (76.5%), and key organizational barriers included staffing shortages (62.5%) and lack of institutional support (43.8%). Suggested improvements included shareable materials for veterans and hiring more family therapists. Conclusion: Family involvement in the outpatient setting remains complex due to systemic and personal barriers. However, numerous studies support that family involvement in patient mental health care improves patient outcomes, emphasizing its significance. Further assessment of the patient and their family is needed to increase involvement and create a robust strategy. |
