Browsing by Author "Cottin Arredondo, Marianne"

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    Digital use of standardised assessment tools for children and adolescents : can available paper-based questionnaires be used free of charge in electronic format?
    (2022) Cottin Arredondo, Marianne; Blum, Kathrin; Konjufca, Jon; Quevedo Labbé, Iván Yamil; Kaaya, Sylvia; Behn Berliner, Alex Joseph; Schmeck, Klaus; Sharp, Carla; Zimmermann, Ronan
    Question: Most adolescents live in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), and about 10% of them face mental problems. The mental health provision gap in low- and middle-income countries could be addressed by evidence-based practices, however costs are implementational barriers. Digitalization can improve the accessibility of these tools and constitutes a chance for LMIC to use them more easily at a low cost. We reviewed free and brief evidence-based mental health assessment tools available for digital use to assess psychopathology across different domains in youth. Methods: For the current study, instruments from a recent review on paper-based instruments were re-used. Additionally, a systematic search was conducted to add instruments for the personality disorder domain. We searched and classified the copyright and license terms available from the internet in terms of free usage and deliverability in a digital format. In the case that this information was insufficient, we contacted the authors. Results: In total, we evaluated 109 instruments. Of these instruments, 53 were free and digitally usable covering 11 mental health domains. However, retrieving information on copyright and license terms was very difficult. Conclusions: Free and digitally adaptable instruments are available, supporting the strategy of using instruments digitally to increase access. The instrument’s authors support this initiative, however, the lack of copyright information and the difficulties in contacting the authors and licence holders are barriers to using this strategy in LMIC. A comprehensive, online instrument repository for clinical practice would be an appropriate next step to make the instruments more accessible and reduce implementation barriers.
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    Mental Health Information Reporting Assistant (MHIRA)-an open-source software facilitating evidence-based assessment for clinical services
    (2023) Zimmermann, Ronan; Konjufca, Jon; Sakejo, Peter; Kilonzo, Mrema; Quevedo Labbé, Iván Yamil; Blum, Kathrin; Biba, Edison; Mosha, Tumaini; Cottin Arredondo, Marianne; Hernández Contreras, Cristóbal Eduardo; Kaaya, Sylvia; Arenliu, Aliriza; Behn Berliner, Alex Joseph
    Evidence-based assessment (EBA) in mental health is a critical aspect of improving patient outcomes and addressing the gaps in mental health care. EBA involves the use of psychometric instruments to gather data that can inform clinical decision-making, inform policymakers, and serve as a basis for research and quality management. Despite its potential, EBA is often hindered by barriers such as workload and cost, leading to its underutilization. Regarding low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), the implementation of EBA is recognized as a key strategy to address and close the prevalent mental health treatment gap.To simplify the application of EBA including in LMIC, an international team of researchers and practitioners from Tanzania, Kosovo, Chile, and Switzerland developed the Mental Health Information Reporting Assistant (MHIRA). MHIRA is an open-source electronic health record that streamlines EBA by digitising psychometric instruments and organising patient data in a user-friendly manner. It provides immediate and convenient reports to inform clinical decision-making.The current article provides a comprehensive overview of the features and technical details of MHIRA, as well as insights from four implementation scenarios. The experience gained during the implementations as well as the user-feedback suggests that MHIRA has the potential to be successfully implemented in a variety of clinical contexts and simplify the use of EBA. However, further research is necessary to establish its potential to sustainably transform healthcare services and impact patient outcomes.In conclusion, MHIRA represents an important step in promoting the widespread adoption of EBA in mental health. It offers a promising solution to the barriers that have limited the use of EBA in the past and holds the potential to improve patient outcomes and support the ongoing efforts to address gaps in mental health care.
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    Personality functioning and borderline personality disorder in patients referred for psychiatric consultation in an emergency service
    (2023) Pérez Méndez, Ana Jazmín; Behn Berliner, Alex Joseph; Cottin Arredondo, Marianne; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Escuela de Psicología
    Background: In the last decade, personality disorders suffered a transformation regarding their classification and diagnosis. The personality disorder (PD) dimensional diagnosis proposed by DSM-V´s Alternative Model (AMPD) and CIE-11 defines personality pathology as an impairment in self and interpersonal functioning. In this context, epidemiological data is still scarce, and no studies to date inquire the prevalence of this diagnosis in patients referred for psychiatric consultation in emergency services. Thus, the main objective of this study is to describe the proportion of consultants referred to psychiatric consultation with the AMPD PD diagnosis and the severity of borderline features in this sample. Methods: Participants were adults (+18) consulting an adult general emergency service from a Chilean public hospital in a deprived urban area. We used two self-report screening scales (LPFS-BF 2.0 and ZAN BPD) to measure personality functioning and borderline symptoms. Results: From our total 182 participants sample, 27.5% presented personality functioning impairment. The group with a probable AMPD PD diagnosis consistently scored higher in mean borderline symptomatology. Additionally, the group with personality functioning difficulties presented more psychosocial impairment. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that dimensional PD diagnosis is a highly prevalent condition among patients referred for psychiatric consultation in emergency services. These results underscore the need to gather quality epidemiological data to promote the design and implementation of appropriate emergency care interventions for this condition and to advance PD inclusion in national mental healthcare policies.