Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives on Integrating Reproductive and Acute Mental Healthcare
Sponsor
This research was funded by the Legacy Health Foundation (Grant No. 120055010).
Published In
Sexuality and Disability
Document Type
Citation
Publication Date
8-22-2022
Abstract
Objective: Access to trauma-informed sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS) among persons with mental illness (MI) is inadequate and may contribute to health disparities among this population. This qualitative study investigated health professionals' perspectives of SRHS delivery to patients receiving care at a behavioral health hospital. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a convenience sample of 26 mental health professionals recruited from one behavioral health hospital. Interviews assessed participants' perceptions of current SRHS offerings, barriers, and opportunities to implement patient-centered SRHS at the hospital. A constant comparison thematic analysis was employed. Results: Participants noted patients' overlapping sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and mental health needs. Most participants indicated clinical responsibility to address these needs. However, participants stated they infrequently provided SRHS because of structural barriers within the healthcare system. Barriers included a lack of hospital policy and health professional education on SRH. Some participants who navigated around these barriers reported using an existing SRH screening tool. Conclusions: Patients receiving care at this behavioral health hospital have unmet SRHS needs. This lack of care may undermine the health of patients with MI. Addressing system level gaps requires clinical re-prioritization. Promising approaches to address this gap include reverse-integrated care models and improved SRHS training of health professionals.
Rights
© The Springer Nature 2022
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1007/s11195-022-09757-9
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/38461
Citation Details
Cahn, M., Mulcahy, A., Gonzales, K., Miller, G., & Smith, W. (2022). Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives on Integrating Reproductive and Acute Mental Healthcare. Sexuality and Disability, 1-20.