The Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach for Mental Health Systems Optimization in Mozambique (SAIA-MH)

Brad Wagenaar, PhD
University of Washington

ABSTRACT:
Significant investments are being made to close the mental health (MH) treatment gap, which often exceeds 90% in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, limited attention has been paid to patient quality of care in nascent and evolving LMIC MH systems. In system assessments across sub-Saharan Africa, MH loss-to-follow-up often exceeds 50% and sub-optimal medication adherence often exceeds 60%. This talk will summarize our work on adapting, implementing, and now testing the effectiveness of the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach for Mental Health (SAIA-MH) implementation strategy to optimize the primary mental healthcare treatment cascade in government health facilities in Mozambique.