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Australian Journal of Primary Health Australian Journal of Primary Health Society
The issues influencing community health services and primary health care
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Program description and implementation findings of MyCare: enhancing community mental health care in Tasmania, Australia

Renee O’Donnell A C , Darshini Ayton A , Bengianni Pizzirani A , Melissa Savaglio A , Debra Fast B , Dave Vicary B and Helen Skouteris A C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Monash Centre of Health Research and Implementation, Monash University, Level 1, 43–51 Kanooka Grove, Clayton, Vic. 3168, Australia.

B Baptcare, Level 1/1193 Toorak Road, Camberwell, Vic. 3124, Australia.

C Corresponding authors. Email: renee.odonnell@monash.edu; helen.skouteris@monash.edu

Australian Journal of Primary Health 26(5) 374-382 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY20046
Submitted: 5 March 2020  Accepted: 13 July 2020   Published: 23 September 2020

Abstract

Since 2014, Tasmania has experienced unprecedented rates of hospitalisations related to mental health issues. To address reliance on such acute-based care, government funding was invested to enhance community-based care, which, in turn, led to the development of MyCare. This paper represents the initial phase of a larger body of work (i.e. an effectiveness-controlled trial of MyCare) that describes the MyCare program and the successful implementation strategy underpinning the program. The implementation of MyCare was evaluated with 41 key stakeholders (staff, clients and senior executives) using semistructured interviews and focus groups, informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). According to stakeholders, three CFIR constructs that were directly addressed by the program, namely Tension for Change, Evidence Strength and Quality, and Available Resources for Implementation, facilitated the successful implementation of MyCare. In contrast, a feature of the program that impeded implementation was Patient Needs and Resources, which restricted program access to those with the most severe mental health issues. The reporting of implementation strategies underpinning mental health programs is rare. This study describes the implementation strategy underpinning a community-based mental health program that was successful in facilitating program uptake. We encourage other researchers to not only report on implementation findings, which may help avoid replication failure, but also to apply these innovative implementation processes (i.e. address the tension for change and ensure the program is evidence informed and that sufficient resources are available for implementation) within mental health programs to aid successful uptake.

Keywords: Australia, community mental health care, implementation, qualitative examination.


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